ForestClan: War of the Clans
by Shaded-Strike
Summary: Part Three of the ForestClan series. It has finally happened. Roaringstar is CanyonClan leader. What will ForestClan do, now that their Clan is in danger of being wiped out? Why is Pantherstar not giving Acidpaw the Warrior name that he deserves? Ch5 UP!
1. Silver's Fern

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

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**Cinnamonpool:** Mwaha. I **am** evil! :D Thanks for the review!

**WolfSummoner93:** Why yes! XD A CLIFFIE! Thank you for reviewing!

**Lightkit:** Hi! :) Thank you for your review, I hope you (and everyone else) really enjoy book three!

**Moonstar of FireClan:** (Acidpaw: -grumbles- I am NOT cute.) Yes, Acidpaw is just adorable, isn't he? Actually, Rainpaw's deadline **has run out.** Acidpaw either doesn't care that it's run out, or he hasn't noticed. And yes, I do wonder what kind of twists would result from that. Mwaha. You know, Blazingstar is the most enjoyable character to write, right after Acidpaw and Blindnose. I love him very much. -huggles Blazingstar- Thanks for reviewing!

**Old Reader: **Yup, I know who you are now! -hug- I'm sure Acidpaw would love to run away with Indigopaw, Stormpaw, and Redkit, but… you'll see… Mwaha! Thank you for the review!

**some crazy girl who likes pie:** AND HERE IS THE NEW CHAPTER! -hides from Crazy Girl's wrath- Thanks for reviewing!

**ilovekataang: **Thanks for the review -hug- And why yes, Roaringstar is evil, deranged, and everything else that you said. But I think it's going to be quite difficult to kill him. After all, he's got his shiny, brand-new, limited edition (just kidding about that one) nine lives!

**x. Reflectionheart's Honour .x: **I've been poked with a stick! AHHH!!! -runs around in circles- -COUGH- Well then. Thank you for the review! :D

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**A/N:** Book three is finally here! Sorry for the really long wait, I wanted to make sure the chapter was PERFECT before uploading it, and it took my beta (**Mistytail)** and I a long time to edit. Also, NEWS! I'm gonna tell you all something I was a little hesitant to say before. When I am done Book Three, I am going to be writing a Prequel, explaining how everything happened the way it did. The Main Characters, for the most part, are going to be young cats named Silverpaw, Roaringpaw, and Greenpaw.

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_**ForestClan: War of the Clans**_

**Chapter One**

Silver's Fern

Roaringstar looked down on them all, a sick, twisted grin across his face.

There was silence.

Pantherstar's breath caught in her throat. _Oh no… StarClan no… at a time like this…?!_

Not a single cat said a word, until Silverstar spoke up, his voice shaking.

"Ah, um, Roaringbreeze… Where is Silentstar?"

From where he was watching, Acidpaw could've sworn that he saw a ghost of a smirk on Roaringstar's face, but it was quickly replaced with a look of sorrow that the ForestClan apprentice was sure was fake.

"Silentstar is dead," meowed the giant ginger tom. His head was bowed.

Gasps and horrified yowls burst from the crowd.

At the base of the Great Log, where Hawkheart was sitting, a small smile had taken over his features. Mangledpaw, who was sitting with the Medicine Cats, had his eyes focused on Mistypaw. He looked absolutely horrified. Hawkheart padded over to his littermate and leaned towards his ear. The white-furred MountainClan cat flinched and looked at his paws.

Acidpaw's eyes narrowed. There was something that Mangledpaw had not said when he met up with he and Rainpaw. And this **something** was important. Acidpaw could feel it.

Blazingstar's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"How did she die?" he asked, "She had six lives left! She's been leader for what, seventeen seasons? That's longest in history, and she was perfectly fine at the last Gathering!"

"Coppersky, Silentstar, and I were taking a three-cat patrol near the Canyon. One of our Warriors had spotted a coyote, and we intended to drive it off the edge of the cliff…" Roaringstar went on, "And when we **did** find it, we chased it towards the way we had planned, and we managed to drive it over the edge… but… Silentstar got too close to the edge, and the cliff crumbled underneath her. I tried to save her, but… I was too late. I hoped that she would only have lost one or two lives, but the fall was too much for StarClan… and it wiped out her remaining six lives."

Roaringstar's gaze swept the cats at the Gathering and rested on Rainpaw for a moment before continuing.

"Silentstar hunts with StarClan now," finished Roaringstar, "CanyonClan will always remember her fine leadership."

Now the CanyonClan Leader's eyes were locked on Pantherstar.

"Now then, Pantherstar… How can you accuse CanyonClan of committing such a felony?"

Pantherstar swallowed nervously. "We have reason to believe that the three kits that disappeared from ForestClan, PraireClan, and MountainClan ended up in CanyonClan."

"Can you prove it?" challenged the ginger tom.

Pantherstar looked down at Mistypaw. "Tell your tale, Mistypaw."

Mistypaw stood up straighter, her pale green eyes glaring at all the cats around her. "Cats of all Clans! My earliest memory is the feeling of being taken away! My first scent was the smell of the woodlands! The first sounds that I heard were the voices of my mother and father, Lavaflame and Lionclaw, and the mews of my sibling, my real siblings: Oceanpaw, Breezepaw, and Shadelion! But the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were the faces of Silentstar and Roaringbreeze of CanyonClan!"

Other cats stared at her, eyes wide.

Mistypaw raised her voice. "Cats of all Clans! Tell me how all of this is possible! Prove to me CanyonClan's innocence!"

"She's a liar!" screeched one cat.

"Nothing but a murderer!" howled another.

"Silence!" yowled Pantherstar, "She is not the only proof! Quietpaw has her own story as well!"

Snakefang stepped forward. "I'm sure you all know that Quietpaw is mute, but has no one bothered to ask her things? Has no MountainClan cat ever wondered about the disappearance of Puresoul's other kit?!"

Hawkheart's eyes narrowed. "Quietpaw is the Carrier of the Curses! Her own malevolent spirit is what made that other kit fade from existence!"

Cats from PraireClan and MountainClan added to CanyonClan's yowls.

"No! ForestClan speaks the truth!" it was Scarletleaf, "The last Carrier of the Curses was Puresoul! She broke the no-violence tradition by killing a mountain lion before her own death! That Prophecy is in the past, and has nothing to do with Quietpaw!"

Hawkheart turned to where Mangledpaw was sitting. "Hey, say something to favor my idea—" he started to whisper.

But Mangledpaw was gone. Hawkheart snarled.

"What about PrairieClan?" yowled PrairieClan's deputy, Orangeear, who was now glaring at Roaringstar.

"I think I can justify this!" meowed a voice from the crowd.

Rainpaw grinned. _Arctichawk!_

"Then speak," meowed Blazingstar.

"My mother is blind," shouted Arctichawk, "She was blind when my sister and I were born. While my mother was asleep, I heard the cries of my sister as she was taken away! I could smell the intruder's stench! And it was the scent of CanyonClan!"

Now the angry yowls and glares were aimed at CanyonClan. No cat noticed that the clouds in the night sky had shifted and now covered the moon.

"What is the meaning of this, CanyonClan?!"

"How dare you take our kits?!"

"Explain yourselves!"

"Drive them out!"

"Give us back our young ones!"

"You've defiled the Warrior Code!"

Roaringstar laughed. "I need all of my Warriors! I could care less that they are from different Clans. There is no way that I'll hand over any of my Clan members. They're better off in CanyonClan than in any of the other Clans that taint our world with weakness!"

"Traitor!"

"Kitnapper!"

Roaringstar only grinned and yowled. "CanyonClan, we're leaving!"

There were only a few cats from CanyonClan attending the Gathering, and they were all the most loyal cats to the leader. They hissed at the other Clans before following Roaringstar into the darkness.

An eerie silence took over the remaining cats. On top of the Great Log, Blazingstar was shaking in anger.

"Who would've thought it would come to this?!" he hissed.

Pantherstar also growled. "I think that we should all head home. StarClan knows what CanyonClan might do now."

Silverstar remained silent, lost in his thoughts. He shuffled his paws nervously.

"Come, PrairieClan," meowed Blazingstar, "Let's go home."

"MountainClan, we're going," muttered Silverstar.

Slowly, the cats from the other Clans slowly disappeared until only ForestClan was left.

Pantherstar took a deep breath. "Come on, everyone."

She leaped down from the Great Log and led her cats back towards the safety of the forest. Quietpaw trailed near the back, her ears and tail drooping. Rainpaw walked next to her.

"Are you okay, Quietpaw?" she asked, "You… wished you could've met that sibling, right?"

Quietpaw nodded.

"I'm sorry… It must be hard. Being mute, no one to understand you," whispered Rainpaw, "I just can't imagine the pain."

The mute cat shrugged. _It's okay…_

"Oh, I ran into that horrible cat, Seapaw today."

Quietpaw's eyes widened, but Rainpaw purred.

"Acidpaw gave him a whack on the head he'll never forget," she laughed, "And then humiliated him."

The tabby she-cat smiled softly.

They were just getting close to camp when Quietpaw stopped.

"What is it?" asked Rainpaw.

The mute she-cat looked around, as if searching for someone.

_Looking for someone? _Rainpaw thought, _Looking for someone… Oh! Where's Mistypaw?!_

"Are you looking for Mistypaw?" she asked.

Quietpaw nodded quickly.

"I haven't seen her…" murmured Rainpaw, "I hope she's okay…"

_Gathering Island…_

Mistypaw had stayed behind. She looked around the clearing.

"Mangledpaw?" she called, "Are you still here?"

She had seen his horrified expression when she had shown herself at the Gathering. When she had spoken to the cats, she took her eyes off him, but after that, she couldn't find him.

A nearby evergreen bush rustled.

"Mangledpaw?"

But out stepped a cat that she wasn't expecting to see.

"What are you still doing here, Mistypaw?" he asked, his acid-colored eyes glinting with suspicion.

"O-oh! A-Acidpaw!" she meowed.

"You're waiting for Mangledpaw? You meet him in secret?"

"N-no!" Mistypaw stammered, "H-he disappeared during the Gathering, a-and I just wanted to know if he was okay!"

"I see," but the black-furred tom's eyes were still narrowed, "You'd best get back to the Small Woods. There are still cats that think you're a murderer. There could easily be Warriors from other Clans around, waiting to ambush you."

The gray and white she-cat nodded. "Y-yeah, you're right. I should get going."

Mistypaw turned and padded away.

Acidpaw watched her leave. He heard claws scraping on bark. Acidpaw spun around. There was a white tom climbing onto the icy log.

_Mangledpaw! _thought Acidpaw, _He's hiding something! Now's my chance to talk to him!_

Acidpaw sprinted at full speed towards the icy log. Mangledpaw turned his head and saw him, and a look of panic and fear flooded into his eyes. He started to run along the log, but he slipped and his back paws dangled over the edge of the wood. Acidpaw leaped up onto the log and fastened his teeth in Mangledpaw's scruff, saving the second cat that day.

"L-let me go, Acidpaw!" he meowed, "I n-need to get back to MountainClan!"

Acidpaw dragged him back to the Gathering Island. He let go of Mangledpaw and shoved him to the ground, holding him in place with his front paws.

"Not until you answer my questions."

Mangledpaw gulped. "F-fine."

Acidpaw loosened his grip on the white cat, but didn't let him up.

"What's with MountainClan's new deputy?" he asked, "That cat can't be older than me!"

"Oh, Hawkheart? He, uh, well, Flameshadow died, and Hawkheart was his apprentice, so Silverstar made him deputy," replied Mangledpaw, "Satisfied?"

"There weren't any better senior Warriors?"

"Uh, well, it's not my place, see, Silverstar decided…"

"How did Flameshadow die?"

"Th-there was a badger attack! Hawkheart came back screeching about it! Th-there were injuries all over his shoulders… But by the time a patrol got there, it was too late… The badger was gone and Flameshadow was dead."

_The badger was gone? _thought Acidpaw,_ but a badger wouldn't attack a bigger cat, and Flameshadow was not tiny. Mangledpaw's lying…_

"Is Hawkheart an ambitious cat?"

"Uh… I guess so," answered the MountainClan apprentice, "He's always wanted to be deputy, and he spoke a lot to Roaringstar when he was a Warrior at the Gatherings.

Acidpaw blinked. _He… was talking to Roaringstar?!_

"I have one last question," meowed Acidpaw.

"Okay… go ahead, shoot."

"Was Flameshadow really killed by a badger?"

Mangledpaw's eyes went wide with fear. "Wh-wh-what are you trying to say? O-of course he was!"

Acidpaw's piercing green eyes seemed to burn through Mangledpaw's face. "You're lying. Tell me the truth. This could be important."

Mangledpaw was shaking. "O-okay, okay… I'll tell you the truth. Just please, don't tell anyone!"

Acidpaw let Mangledpaw up. The MountainClan tom sat down with his head bowed.

"I saw what really happened. Hawkheart attacked him when no one else was around. He made giant wounds that looked like they could be made by a badger, made some on himself, then went back to camp."

"Couldn't anyone tell that there was no badger scent?"

"No," Mangledpaw shook his head, "The blood scent was too strong. He planned it perfectly. Well… almost."

"Almost?"

"Yeah. Some of the senior Warriors, along with Scarletleaf and Silverstar, thought that it was strange that the badger hadn't been sighted earlier. There hasn't been a badger living on MountainClan territory for seasons and seasons."

Acidpaw frowned. "If he was suspected by Silverstar himself, then how did Hawkheart get chosen as deputy?"

"That, I don't know," Mangledpaw looked up, "He probably planned something sneaky again. I'm assuming that Silverstar has a secret of some sort, and Hawkheart was most likely able to weasel it out of him and use it to his advantage."

"That little foxdung," snarled Acidpaw.

"That's not all. He told Flameshadow that he was allied to Roaringstar right before he killed him," Mangledpaw looked up, "And there's some kind of plot going on, but I wasn't close enough to hear what it was, but all I know is that Hawkheart intends to overthrow Silverstar."

Acidpaw was silent for a moment. "Alright. Thanks. You'd better get going before your Clan notices that you're missing."

Mangledpaw nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you around, I guess."

Acidpaw started heading back towards ForestClan territory. "One last thing. Mistypaw was here a while ago, looking for you. I don't know what's going on between you two, but don't do anything stupid that could get either of you killed."

The black tom continued walking, leaving Mangledpaw behind on the Gathering Island, his eyes wide with shock.

"Mistypaw…" he whispered, "A-Acidpaw, wait!"

The black tom stopped. "Yes?"

"Th-there's something else."

Acidpaw turned around and sat down. "Yeah?"

"I… I'm … uh… good friends with Mistypaw, and um… I… sort of trespass on ForestClan territory every now and then," he swallowed nervously, "And well… Hawkpaw was an apprentice back then. I came back from visiting Mistypaw, and he came up to me and asked me 'Why do you smell like the forest?'. I was surprised, I mean, it was unusual for him to take any interest in me at all, normally he ignores me completely. But I told him that I had gone hunting in the MountainClan woods. I was sure he believed me… but…"

Acidpaw rolled his eyes. "I don't want your life story."

"Sorry!" Mangledpaw flinched, "Well, the bottom line is, one time when I went to meet with Mistypaw, Hawkpaw had followed me. I didn't know he was there, and he saw us together…"

_Flashback_

"_So I took the extra honey we had and dumped it on his head!" Mangledpaw exclaimed, "Scarletleaf couldn't get it off for three sunrises! Everyone was calling him Spikytuft or Sweethead for ages, even after the honey washed off!"_

_Mistypaw giggled. "You two are lucky, being brothers as well as mentor and apprentice. Normally, you'd have gotten into so much trouble!"_

"_I know, right? I mean, I couldn't just let the whole mousebile-on-face incident slide by without revenge!"_

_The two laughed._

"_Well, well, what do we have here?" a brown-furred shape stepped out of the shadows._

_Mistypaw jumped. Mangledpaw stiffened, his eyes wide. "H-Hawkpaw! Wh-what are you doing here?!"_

_The brown tom's eyes narrowed. "I was wondering where you were always sneaking off to. Meeting a she-cat of a different Clan? You, a Medicine Cat? Isn't that against the Warrior Code?"_

"_H-Hawkpaw, we're just friends!" protested Mangledpaw._

_Hawkpaw grinned. "Wait a second. Isn't this the cat who assisted in Oakstump's murder? Can't have a beast like that running around, can we?"_

_Mangledpaw stood defensively in front of Mistypaw. "Run for it! I'll be fine!"_

"_But—"  
_

"_Just go!"_

_Mistypaw nodded and turned tail._

_After she was gone, Mangledpaw lowered himself to the ground, his ears back. "Please, Hawkpaw, don't tell __**anyone**__, I'm begging you!"_

"_I really shouldn't let this go unreported…" Hawkpaw growled._

"_Please! Please don't! She's innocent!"_

"_I'm not talking about her," hissed the brown tom, "I'm talking about __**you**__."_

_Mangledpaw gazed up at his littermate in pure horror. "Y-you wouldn't…"_

"_I would. It might make me a Warrior faster."_

"_You're a monster!"_

"_Shut up," Hawkpaw slammed his paw down on Mangledpaw's head, forcing his muzzle into the ground, "Now listen. I'll keep this a secret on one condition. You must do whatever I say."  
_

"_Alright! I'll do anything! Just please!" whispered Mangledpaw, tears of fear in his eyes._

_Hawkpaw let him up, smirking in triumph. "Good choice. Now, let's go back to camp. I have things to discuss with you…"_

_End Flashback_

"In the end, he used me to get more and more power," muttered Mangledpaw, "I was the one who helped him accuse Quietpaw of being the Curse-Carrier. If there's anything that I refuse to do, my secret goes public. I'm up against a wall."

Acidpaw snarled. "What a little rat."

Mangledpaw shifted his weight from one paw to another. "I should go. I don't want Hawkheart yowling after me. I'm under punishment, so technically, I'm lucky to have gone to the Gathering."

Acidpaw nodded and Mangledpaw rose to his paws.

"I trust you, Acidpaw. Please don't repeat what I've said to anyone. You and Mistypaw are the only ones who know."

"What about Rainpaw?"

"If you think you need to, tell her, I guess," Mangledpaw continued walking, "But please, I'd rather that less cats knew about this."

Acidpaw watched Mangledpaw's disappearing form. He also turned to go back to camp.

_It's really late now, _he thought, _I might as well take Redkit and Indigopaw out for a training session…_

_ForestClan Medicine Cat Den…_

"_Silverdiamond."_

_The ForestClan Medicine Cat opened her eyes. She was in a dark forest. Her surroundings were so obscure that she could only see the silhouettes of the trees._

"_Silverdiamond."_

_The silver-and-black she-cat turned towards the voice. She smiled sadly._

"_Redstar. It's good to see you."_

_In the midst of the darkness, Redstar was almost glowing. His flame orange pelt stood out vibrantly in the darkness. His icy blue eyes were glowing with warmth._

"_Watch out for the gale that seems to roar,_

_He alone can make peace exist no more._

_Rain will be shielded by white,_

_Leaves will be mangled in a dangerous fight._

_All will be revealed on Silver's Fern,_

_A dying star will need to return._

_Forest will be strengthened by eternal rain,_

_But will drown in acid's pain._

_Mourning rain will be turned cold,_

_A story will come that has never been told."_

_It had been a long time since that dream had come to her._

_Redstar's form was disappearing now, and just before he faded completely, he whispered, "I think that it's time for the secret of Silver's Fern to be shared."_

Silverdiamond blinked open her eyes. She silently rose to her paws and padded out of her den, heading towards the apprentice den. She noticed that Acidpaw was just entering camp.

_What's he doing out so late? _she wondered.

Acidpaw saw her and tensed for a second before nodding a greeting and entering the den. Silverdiamond entered soon after and stood above Rainpaw. She nudged her apprentice with her paw.

"Urgh… Silverdiamond? What is it?" she asked drowsily.

"Come, Rainpaw," she whispered, "I need to show you something."

Yawning, Rainpaw rose to her paws and started to follow Silverdiamond out of the apprentice den. Acidpaw watched her with one acid green eye.

The cold leaf-bare wind fluttered through Rainpaw's fur, maker her shiver. What could Silverdiamond possibly want to show her at this time of night?

Her mentor was walking straight towards the Twist, and suddenly broke into a run.

"W-wait!" Rainpaw called after her, startled.

The Medicine Cat entered the hollow tree. Rainpaw entered as well, her vision adjusting slowly to the darkness.

Silverdiamond was crouched next to some brambles, which she was prodding aside with a short thick stick in her mouth.

Rainpaw frowned, watching intently. **What **in the name of StarClan was she doing? Rainpaw gasped. Silverdiamond had finally pushed the brambles aside, revealing a hole in the ground, which she jumped down into without hesitation. Rainpaw padded closer to the hole. She couldn't see the bottom.

"Silverdiamond?" she called nervously.

"Come, Rainpaw, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Rainpaw put one paw down into the hole, trying to see if she could feel the bottom, but she slipped and fell face-first.

She hit the ground seconds after, then feeling as if she was rolling down a steep hill. When she finally came to a stop, not only was it too dark to see, she was too dizzy to move. And she was feeling oddly warm.

There was a small burst of dull yellow light before it faded. For a instant, she saw Silverdiamond's face, but now she could only see a silhouette.

Rainpaw staggered to her paws. There were more bursts of light, which disappeared as quickly as they came.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Silverdiamond's voice resonated from behind her. "This is Silver's Fern."

"Huh?" she had never heard of such a place, "What are those lights?"

"Full of questions tonight, aren't we?" her mentor sounded amused, "They are fireflies."

Rainpaw blinked. "Fireflies? But it's too co—"

"Cold?" Silverdiamond cut her off, "Yes, outside it's too cold for the fireflies, but here, not so much, as you can tell. Haven't you ever wondered where the fireflies go when greenleaf ends? The cold of leaf-bare does not reach here."

Now Rainpaw's vision had adjusted to be able to see Silverdiamond.

"But where—"

"We are under the Twist. The roots still hold up the tree, and also make a ceiling. When there's more light, you'll see, there are ferns everywhere."

"Why **Silver's** Fern?" asked Rainpaw, wondering at the back of her mind if she was dreaming.

The apprentice could see the glint in the Medicine Cat's orange eyes. "Because when I was an apprentice, about your age… I found this place."

_ForestClan Apprentice Den…_

A few minutes after Rainpaw left with Silverdiamond, Acidpaw stood up. Indigopaw did the same. The black-furred cat looked around at his fellow apprentices, making sure they were all asleep before stepping back out into the cold.

They stopped in front of the nursery. Acidpaw nodded at Indigopaw and the younger apprentice went in.

Acidpaw looked up at the sky. The clouds covered the stars and the moon. Perfect for the training exercise he had planned.

He thought of his talk with Mangledpaw. What in the name of StarClan was Hawkheart plotting? Was Roaringstar involved? Would those two Clans join forces? He had no more time to think about it. Indigopaw had reappeared at his side with Redkit right behind him.

"Let's go," he meowed.

The two younger cats followed him wordlessly, occasionally stumbling through the darkness. Once they reached the drinking stream, they stood on either side of Acidpaw, both around three tail-lengths away.

"We'll do something different tonight," he instructed, "I'm going to teach you the basics of fighting in pitch-black."

Indigopaw and Redkit looked on with interest.

"When you were kits, did you ever play tag?" he asked.

They both nodded.

Redkit felt herself glow with pride. Acidpaw had said _when you were kits_, meaning that he considered her an apprentice as well.

"You will both try to catch me," he went on, "Sound pretty simple? But you don't only have to tap me. You must inflict one bleeding wound on me. Alternately, I can also attack you. If you get a total of five bleeding wounds between the two of you, then you're out. Both of you."

The two younger cats were stunned. They had to hurt Acidpaw? They had to evade Acidpaw? Was that even possible?

Acidpaw smirked. "Catch me if you can."

And he seemed to disappear into the darkness.

Before she could react, Redkit felt a rush of wind on her right side and the cold pain of claws tearing into her cheek. She could feel her own blood trickle down the side of her face.

Seconds later, she heard a cry of surprise from Indigopaw.

"Come on, you two. That's one on each of you already," taunted Acidpaw's voice from behind them, "Defend yourselves. If I were an enemy, you'd both be dead."

The way he said it made Indigopaw shudder. If Acidpaw was the enemy…

Indigopaw suddenly had a strange vision. An older Acidpaw, with a dark glimmer in his pale green eyes, his fur melting into the shadows, a familiar form trapped under his paws…

He shook those thoughts from his head. He growled in frustration and leaped in the direction where Acidpaw's voice had come from. He was only met with a mouthful of snow and a lump of fur on his back.

"Watch where you're going, runt!" hissed Redkit.

"Get off!"

They both scrambled to their paws. Indigopaw started looking around, his heart beating quickly. _Why am I so scared? _he asked himself, _it's just Acidpaw…_

Redkit was not moving at all. Her eyes were closed and she was sitting.

"What are you—" Indigopaw started to ask.

"Sh!" hissed Redkit.

There was an eerie silence, then the crunch of snow.

"There!" mewed Redkit, leaping towards the sound. She bit into the darkness and felt her teeth close around…

Redkit spat out some wood splinters. A branch?! But she was so sure…

"You almost had me there, Redkit," meowed Acidpaw's voice, "But remember, if you can hear me, I can hear you."

Redkit swallowed nervously. And that's when she heard Indigopaw cry out again.

"Wh-what's happening?" she yowled.

"H-he got me again," muttered Indigopaw from somewhere on her left, "I was just surprised."

"That's two, Indigopaw," came Acidpaw's voice, "Two more, and it's over for both of you."

Redkit closed her eyes. It was like Acidpaw's voice was coming from… _Above my head?!_

Redkit looked up, and that's when she saw it. If she squinted, she could see the silhouette of a cracked branch on a nearby tree.

_Acidpaw must have stepped on it to make it fall, _she thought, _So he's going from tree to tree, and coming down to attack us?! He's just hit Indigopaw… so now…_

"Indigopaw, move!" Redkit lunged at him and pushed him out of the way.

"What in StarClan's name was that?!" he growled.

There was the sound of impact on the ground a hairbreadth away from them, and snow sprayed the air. Then there was the sound of claws along bark.

_She's figuring it out, _thought Acidpaw.

"Indigopaw, listen," whispered Redkit, "I know what Acidpaw is doing. He's up in the trees, and he leaps out to attack, then goes back up. I want you to pretend to attack something in the middle, and he might get you, but I'll hear him and attack. Got it?"

Indigopaw stared at her like she was crazy, but finally he nodded.

He released a cry of rage and leaped into nothingness. Redkit listened carefully. There! She could hear Acidpaw's claws scrape against a branch.

Indigopaw yowled as he was tackled to the ground, another scratch on his face. Redkit lunged forward and clawed into the darkness. She felt fur against her paw for a second, but it was pulled away.

"Foxdung!" she hissed, "Almost had him!"

Acidpaw scaled another tree. The tip of his tail stung. He licked it and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Not 'almost had him', Redkit," he meowed, "You got me."

Redkit blinked and let loose a meow of triumph. Acidpaw climbed back down. The clouds covering the moon suddenly moved away and their training grounds were bathed in moonlight, turning Acidpaw's fur silver.

"Where did I hit you?" asked Redkit.

"My tail," the black-furred tom lifted his tail to Redkit's face.

"Whaaaat?!" she meowed loudly, "It's a tiny prick! It's not even bleeding!"

"It was, though, and that's all that counts."

"I want to try again!" protested Redkit.

"We don't have time," replied her older brother calmly, "Dawn's going to break soon. You should get some rest. Also, get the blood off your face and think of a good excuse as to why it's there."

Both younger cats nodded. They returned to camp in silence.

Indigopaw was lost in thought. That illusion of Acidpaw would not leave his mind.

Redkit entered the nursery, nodding a goodbye to Acidpaw and Indigopaw. The two apprentices entered the apprentice den. Indigopaw was asleep instantly.

Acidpaw noticed that Rainpaw wasn't back yet. Should he be worried?

_No, _he thought, _She's with Silverdiamond. She's fine._

He finally drifted into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

**A/N:** Isn't Acidpaw the awesomeness? Urgh, sorry for the abrupt ending…

Also I know I'm a bad author for not updating in like, forever, so you get a preview of the next chapter, okay?

* * *

_**Preview of Chapter Two:**_

_Acidpaw started struggling under the CanyonClan's grip. _Foxdung! I've taken him too lightly!

"_CanyonClan Warriors cannot be stopped until they are dead!" yowled Coppersky._

_He pitched forward and sunk his teeth into Acidpaw's neck._

* * *

**A/N:** I'm gonna hope that none of you want to kill me now. Bye bye! -waves like Ichimaru Gin-


	2. Attack! CanyonClan Shows no Mercy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

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**stripesgetoffme: **Mwahaha, you don't know what I'm thinking. Mwaha. Thanks for reviewing!

**Lightkit:** Haha, me too. I was thinking of Silver's Fern and going, 'oh god, that'd be awesome' XD Thanks for reviewing!

**ilovekataang:** Will I kill him? Will I not kill him? I do not know. Or do I? Mwahahaha! Thanks for the review!

**Bramblefang:** Oh, don't be scared! I'm sure Acidpaw will be juuuuuust fine. -insert evil laugh here-

**WolfSummoner93:** Awww, thank you so much! You're so nice! -hug- Thanks for reviewing!

**black cat12:** Am I? Hmm… I'm not sure. You'll find out in this chapter… or not. Thanks for the review!

**Silent Solace:** -pats shoulder- Yes, I hate Roaringstar and Hawkheart too. And yes, you are correct. Mwaha. No offence taken. Actually… -goes back and reads previous chapter- -facepalm- Oh god, you're right. I'm an idiot. -mopes in corner- I enjoyed writing that part, but… urgh. Now I hate it. Oh well, when the entire series is over, I was planning to do a mass edit anyways… Thanks for pointing it out! And yes. Odd impression you're having there. Why **would** Acidpaw become evil?

**Moonstar of FireClan:** Wow, the review thingy really doesn't like you! Bad review thingy! -hits review thingy with newspaper- Well, thanks for reviewing anyways, I really appreciate it. -hug-

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**A/N:** Chapter two! (I am very sorry if this sends Acidpaw-fans into near heart-attacks.) I had to completely rewrite this chapter at one point, 'cause I went over it and immediately caught this gigantic mistake that affected the whole chapter. But it's all good now. Enjoy!

* * *

_**ForestClan: War of the Clans**_

**Chapter Two**

Attack! CanyonClan shows no mercy!

Rainpaw gazed at Silverdiamond in awe. "You… found this place? Really?"

"Completely by accident too," Silverdiamond grinned, "I fell down the chute when my friend was trying to teach me battle practice. I was gone for three hours."

Rainpaw's eyes widened. "Three hours? The Clan must've been so worried with their Medicine Cat missing for so long!"

"Not really," Silverdiamond shrugged, "I was only an apprentice back then. But my mentor was quite frustrated with me."

"Your mentor?"

"Yes, my mentor, Wavepelt, the previous Medicine Cat."

Rainpaw fell silent. Finding such a place as an apprentice… It must be a glorious feeling.

"I never told my friends about it," Silverdiamond went on, "No one knows. Except for you."

"Just me?" she asked, "Why?"

"I'd like to keep this place a secret as long as possible," meowed the Medicine Cat, "Unless there's an emergency, don't bring anyone here. And when you're a full-grown Medicine Cat, then you'll be able to pass this place down to your apprentice."

"My own… apprentice?" Rainpaw couldn't even imagine that far ahead.

Silverdiamond laughed, "Of course! Rainpaw, I won't be here forever, you know. One day, it'll be you living in the Medicine Cat den, you going into the front lines battle, you saving lives, and… you will be teaching a young one."

"But… I'm still an apprentice," muttered the white she-cat.

"Not for much longer, Rainpaw. There is less and less that I find myself having to teach you."

"What will happen when my apprenticeship is over?" Rainpaw did not like the way this was going. She had never thought about becoming a full Medicine Cat.

"I'll stay at your side until I retire. Simple as that," upon seeing the confused look on her apprentice's face, Silverdiamond went on, "You can continue coming to me for guidance, though, don't worry!"

Rainpaw didn't say anything in reply. The two were silent for a while before Silverdiamond began to speak again.

"Right now, the future of the Clans does not look bright," Silverdiamond meowed, "There will no doubt be a big battle. I've been receiving dreams from StarClan since you became my apprentice. Lizardfang has come many times to tell me that peace will not last. And from what Pantherstar told me about the Gathering that has just passed…"

Rainpaw nodded.

"Rainpaw, you don't fully understand."

The white she-cat frowned. "What is it?"

"Rainpaw, I talked with Pantherstar," Silverdiamond's voice had risen a little, "We think that there might be a war. Rainpaw, you need to understand something—"

"I know that there'll be a war!" Rainpaw growled, "That's why I'm still training! We Medicine Cats exist because there will never be total peace. There will always be fights, there will always be illnesses! You told me that yourself!"

"I know, Rainpaw, and I have faith in you, but…" Silverdiamond sighed, "Rainpaw, you have never failed!"

"I don't intend to fail. I intend to save lives."

"As do I."

"I don't understand why we're arguing!" Rainpaw started to look for the exit. She started to climb the small tunnel.

"Rainpaw, you will see cats die!"

Rainpaw stopped, her eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"The last thing you have to learn is how to deal with lives you could not save," Silverdiamond faced her apprentice, "I learned this when I was very young. An outburst of greencough demolished half of ForestClan, many seasons ago. There was nothing that I could do. You can't save everyone, Rainpaw, and that lesson is going to be the most painful."

Rainpaw breathed out slowly. "I… I understand. I'm really tired. May I go back?"

"Yes. Good night."

The Medicine Cat apprentice walked out of the hollow in the Twist. Her mind was filled with awful images.

_I can't believe I haven't thought of this… Who do I think I am? Of course I can't save everyone, _her pawsteps were slow and shaky, _My friends could die. Silverdiamond could die. Innocent cats could die, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing._

Rainpaw entered the Apprentice den. The others were all sleeping soundly and peacefully. She felt tears in her eyes, but blinked them back before padding over to her nest and lying down. Before she knew it, she sank into a deep sleep.

_Pale green. _

_A large shadow._

_Her own screaming._

_Blood._

"_Run, Rainpaw! Run and don't look back!"_

Rainpaw woke with a start. Acidpaw was looking down at her.

"You were tossing and turning. It was annoying," he meowed before turning away.

From behind her, Wolfpaw spoke up. "Bad dream, Rainpaw?"

"Y-yeah."

Rising to her paws, Rainpaw thought back to her dream. _"Run, Rainpaw! Run and don't look back!"_ She could remember the words, but not the voice.

_Something's going to happen, _she thought, _Soon. And I don't think it'll be good._

At the entrance of the Medicine Cat den, Silverdiamond greeted her, but Rainpaw was hardly listening. As she sorted through herbs half-heartedly, she gazed outside at Lightningkit and Soulkit who were play-fighting in the snow.

Blindnose, Duckfoot and Goosefang were talking leisurely right outside the elders' den. Sharktooth, Snakefang, and Lavaflame were returning from a morning patrol. Everything seemed so normal, as if the most dangerous cat in all the Clans hadn't been promoted to CanyonClan leader the night before.

It was the calm before the storm.

Rainpaw also noticed that all of the apprentices were out training. Not hunting. Battle training. The fresh-kill pile, which was unusually big for the season of leaf-bare, was untouched.

Suddenly, Foxclaw and Indigopaw walked by, right outside the den.

"I'm very impressed, Indigopaw!" Foxclaw was saying, "I've never seen an apprentice learn to fight that quickly! You'll make a fantastic Warrior."

"Thank you," Indigopaw sounded distracted, "But Stormpaw should be here with me."

Foxclaw sighed, "It can't be helped, Indigopaw. A blind apprentice can't fight as well as the others. Maybe when Rainpaw finishes her training, Stormpaw will become the new Medicine Cat apprentice."

"But she wanted to fight for the Clan…"

That was all of the conversation that Rainpaw overheard. Turning her attention back to the herbs in front of her, she sighed.

_Is there really going to be a war?_

_CanyonClan border…_

"Attack me."

Acidpaw looked at Hawktalon. His mentor had taken a defensive stance, waiting for the apprentice to move.

"We've gone over this tons of times," Acidpaw complained, "Can't I fight someone else?"

"Whining again, Acidpaw?"

Acidpaw turned to see Falconbeak, with Tigerpelt a few paces behind him. The black cat's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not **whining**. I'd just like to see a change of opponent, that's all."

"I'll be your change of opponent, then," Falconbeak took a step closer. He glared at Acidpaw, as if expecting him to back down when challenged by the deputy.

"Alright. Gladly," Acidpaw replied. _I can't wait to beat you down._

Falconbeak blinked, but then lowered into a fighting stance. "Very well. Attack me."

Acidpaw smirked. "You sure you don't want to attack first?"

"You brat," hissed the deputy, "I'll give you a fight you won't forget."

The black-furred tom leaped at Falconbeak head-on. Like expected, Falconbeak rushed forward to meet him, but at the last second, Acidpaw rolled to the side and kept running, dragging his paw along Falconbeak's side, careful to keep his claws sheathed.

Falconbeak turned around. Acidpaw gazed at him with no expression on his face.

"If my claws were out, then you'd be fresh-kill."

Falconbeak snarled. "I was going easy on you!"

_Who's whining now? _Acidpaw thought, suppressing a snicker.

The deputy was furious. "Only luck! Fight me again!"

Now Acidpaw was surprised. "You're joking, right?"

"Scared?" growled Falconbeak, "Come on, then! I don't have all day!"

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Falconbeak?" asked Tigerpelt. Hawktalon nodded in agreement.

"Yes!" hissed the deputy, turning his attention back to Acidpaw, "Hurry up!"

Acidpaw rolled his eyes and complied. "Fine. Don't blame me for humiliation."

"**I** won't be the one who's humiliated!"

Acidpaw waited as Falconbeak charged at him. Just as he was about to get hit, Acidpaw ducked and headbutted Falconbeak's chest, making him stumble. The black cat's paw grazed Falconbeak's cheek, before turning and gracefully dodging all the blows aimed at him.

The black-furred apprentice jumped straight up and landed on Falconbeak's back. Yowling in frustration, Falconbeak started to shake him off, only resulting in Acidpaw instinctively unsheathing his claws to keep balance. He latched onto Falconbeak's scruff, piercing his skin.

"Your claws!" hissed Falconbeak.

"Oops," muttered Acidpaw to himself. He rolled off, "Sorry, Falconbeak."

Despite the apology, Falconbeak was seething. "How **dare** you show your claws to the deputy?!"

"It was an accident! I—" the apprentice was cut off.

"Know your place!" hissed Falconbeak.

The deputy lunged towards him, and Acidpaw stood waiting.

The black-furred apprentice found himself replicating the move that Ember used to take down Rebekka. His paw was held right in front of Falconbeak's throat.

"I win, Falconbeak," he growled

The deputy's eyes were wide. "Y-yeah… Put your paws down."

"You know, Falconbeak," started Acidpaw, "Your fighting style is similar to Hawktalon's. He told me that you two trained under the same mentor."

Hawktalon fidgeted. "Well, I, uh, didn't think that would give you an advantage. Um, Acidpaw, you're dismissed."

Acidpaw dipped his head and started to turn around.

"Wait."

It was Falconbeak. He was bristling, still angry.

"You used your claws on me, apprentice. That's worth punishment."

"I told you," Acidpaw felt anger bubbling in his stomach, "It. Was. An. Accident."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?!"

"Y—"

"Falconbeak, please!"

Both cats stopped arguing. Hawktalon had stepped forward.

"Please, brother. Let him go."

Falconbeak glared at his brother for a moment, then he sighed. "Fine."

Acidpaw held back a sigh of relief. He started to pad away.

"Acidpaw!" called Falconbeak, "Remember this! If this scratch gets infected or if I'm hindered in away way, I'm placing the blame on **you**!"

The black-furred apprentice glanced at the deputy over his shoulder. He was silent for a moment, then nodded his head once.

"Yes, sir."

After the apprentice was gone, Tigerpelt and Hawktalon turned to Falconbeak.

"His skill is undeniable," meowed Tigerpelt, "I don't understand why he hasn't been made a Warrior yet. Really now, his brothers moved up moons ago!"

"He needs to work on his behavior," muttered Falconbeak.

Hawktalon bristled. "I think his behavior would be just fine if he became a Warrior."

"He's got talent, I'll give him that," the deputy replied, "He's a good fighter, but his bitterness towards Pantherstar and I would be a huge threat."

"For StarClan's sake, he's done nothing wrong! It's just that he's been waiting to become a Warrior for so long! Remember when he was a kit? He wasn't like this at all! Acidpaw was just like Breezepaw, gentle and forgiving!"

The three Warriors were silent for a moment, barely remembering the time where Acidpaw—Acidkit then—was like that. Hawktalon went on.

"It was when we practically left him to die when he was injured that he started to hold a grudge against us. Don't you remember? You were sick, and Lizardfang was patrolling with us to get catmint, and Acidpaw collapsed, and we left him! I'm the source of his anger. It's because of me that he's like this," Hawktalon's ears drooped. "I ruined that kit's life."

Falconbeak rolled his eyes. "Even so, he should've let it go by now. There's no reason for him to spite us for what happened such a long time ago."

Hawktalon hissed. "Look who's talking! Who was it who—"

He was about to say more, but never got to. He was interrupted.

By claws in his back.

Hawktalon screeched in pain as the sharp claws of an enemy cat sunk deep into his skin and were dragged down his back. The Warrior staggered forward and collapsed at his brother's feet.

"Hawktalon!" cried Falconbeak. He looked up, his eyes alight with anger.

"Well, well," came a smooth voice, "Three ForestClan cats with their guards down. Easy pickings."

"Roaringstar!" spat Falconbeak.

Stormstreak, a senior CanyonClan Warrior, was on his leader's right side. Stormstreak had a smirk on his face, and his paw was red with blood that wasn't his.

"Attack," Roaringstar meowed simply.

"Falconbeak, bring your brother back and go get reinforcements!" yowled Tigerpelt.

"And leave you here?! Are you crazy?!" hissed Falconbeak, "You'll get crushed!"

"Please. Roaringstar doesn't seem to be willing to fight, and it's not like this youngster can take me out."

"If you're sure…"

"I'll be fine! Go!"

The other ForestClan cat nodded, heaved Hawktalon onto his back, and dashed in the opposite direction.

"After them," growled the CanyonClan leader.

Tigerpelt glared at him. "I don't think so."

The ForestClan cat was a blur of movement as Stormstreak was knocked down, one bleeding wound on his shoulder.

"Y-you foxdung," snarled Stormstreak, "You'll pay for that!"

Tigerpelt sunk gracefully into a fighting stance. "You're many seasons too young to challenge me."

The CanyonClan cat lunged at him, but Tigerpelt easy dodged his attacks.

"I was the second candidate for Clan deputy," Tigerpelt's eyes narrowed, "The only reason I am not is because I am too old. Falconbeak will soon reach my level, and he is still young."

"So you're an old foxdung, hm?" hissed Stormstreak, his matted grey pelt bristling, "Good, then you won't hold out much longer."

The CanyonClan cat threw himself at Tigerpelt.

"Are you crazy?! Don't leap straight at him!" yowled Roaringstar, "He'll—"

There was a howl of pain. Blood spurted from Stormstreak's right eye.

"Augh! You old foxdung!" screeched the grey tom, "I'll kill you!"

"That's enough."

Roaringstar stepped forward. "Stormstreak, go back to camp. Gather my most loyal Warriors. I expect you'll return to battle, despite that wound?"

"Yes, sir." The CanyonClan cat nodded and ran across the border. Once he was gone, Roaringstar shifted his gaze to the ForestClan Warrior.

"Now, Tigerpelt of ForestClan, the real fight begins."

_ForestClan camp…_

"Attack!" yowled Falconbeak, bursting into camp, "CanyonClan border! Hawktalon was hurt!"

Pantherstar emerged from her den in the Treestump. She was still recovering from her injuries in the fight with Rebekka.

"Falconbeak, Acidpaw, Wolfpaw, Stripepaw, Spotpaw, Lynxpaw, Foxclaw, Sharktooth, Snakefang, and Lavaflame, report to battle immediately!" she ordered, "Rainpaw, get out onto the front lines and be prepared to help the injured! Silverdiamond, please take care of Hawktalon, and when you're finished with that, go to battle!"

Cats moved at an incredible pace out of camp, following Falconbeak as fast as their paws could carry them.

Rainpaw felt herself shudder. _This might be it,_ she thought, _The first time we might not be able to save someone…_

"Go on, Rainpaw," Silverdiamond's voice shook Rainpaw from her thoughts.

Wordlessly, Rainpaw followed her Clanmates, first gathering up as many herbs as she could. Her heart pounding in her chest, she ran after the Warriors and Apprentices, praying to StarClan not to let them lose anyone.

But the sickening feeling in Rainpaw's throat would not go away. Something had gone terribly wrong, she knew it.

As they neared the CanyonClan border, it started snowing. Thick clouds moved overhead, shedding the white dust over the ForestClan cats.

The trees started thinning out and soon Rainpaw saw that the ForestClan cats had stopped running.

_What's going on?_ she thought, _I thought that there was a fight._

But instead of battle cries, an eerie silence hung over the area.

Rainpaw craned her neck, trying to see over her Clanmates. When she finally got a good view, she felt her heart stop and her eyes widen.

Roaringstar stood calmly on the border, a huge amount of cats behind him.

"I was told that Tigerpelt was a candidate for Clan deputy, and that he was stronger than the current deputy," the CanyonClan leader drawled, reaching behind him.

"What of it?" replied Falconbeak stiffly.

Roaringstar had taken something in his jaws and dragged it in front of him. He dropped a limp figure to the ground. Its pelt was torn and bloody.

"He was such a weakling, I'm almost scared to see what the real deputy is like."

"TIGERPELT!" wailed Foxclaw.

"Attack, ForestClan!" yowled Falconbeak.

Grief-stricken screams and angry howls pierced the air as the ForestClan cats collided with CanyonClan.

Acidpaw leaped at the nearest cat he could find. It was Tornleaf of CanyonClan, a cowardly warrior that Acidpaw had once released before.

The black-furred tom bit into the enemy's ear, and the other cat howled in pain, but Acidpaw did not let go.

He dug his claws into Tornleaf's side.

"L-let me go! Please! I have a mate, a-and kits!"

"No. Not a single one of you CanyonClan scum deserves mercy," he hissed.

He started digging in his claws deeper, the CanyonClan cat in front of him still pleading for his life.

"Acidpaw, stop!"

It was Foxclaw.

Acidpaw shot a glare at the she-cat, still not letting go of his enemy, "Why?"

"We don't need to kill our enemies. Only fight them off."

"They killed Tigerpelt, your mate," hissed Acidpaw, "We can't let them get away with murder!"

Foxclaw smiled grimly. "True, but if we murder one of them, we're not so different, are we?"

Acidpaw growled, but had nothing to say in return. He looked down at Tornleaf, his acid green eyes narrowed and hostile.

"You got lucky this time. Get lost."

Tornleaf was released and fled with his tail between his legs.

Acidpaw threw himself into battle. Many CanyonClan cats were attacking him, but he skillfully dodged all of them.

_Where are our Warriors?_ he thought wildly, _We're outnumbered!_

Falconbeak was pinned down by Stormstreak, and many other ForestClan cats were down or against two cats at once.

"Help me!"

Acidpaw stopped. That was…

"Snakefang!"

The tabby was held down by two huge CanyonClan Warriors. One of them, the deputy, Coppersky. Acidpaw leaped onto Coppersky, sinking his claws into his back. The CanyonClan cat shrieked in pain, releasing his hold on Acidpaw's brother, giving Snakefang the chance to get up and fight his other opponent.

Acidpaw rolled off Coppersky's back, his fur bristling and ready to take down the CanyonClan deputy.

"You runt!" hissed Coppersky.

"Tch." _This isn't going to be as easy as Tornleaf. A deputy is the real deal. I can't afford to make a single bad move._

"I'm going to make you wish you were never born!" he growled.

Acidpaw smirked, "Most of the time, I **do** wish I had never been born."

Coppersky snorted and ran at Acidpaw. The apprentice dodged to the side, waiting until the brown cat beside him had gone far enough for Acidpaw to grab onto his hind leg, biting as hard as he could.

The CanyonClan deputy screeched in pain, turning and trying to sink his teeth into Acidpaw's scruff. He couldn't quite reach the black cat, but his squirming and struggling was getting dangerously close to Acidpaw's neck.

"Get off!" he yowled, "You foxdung! Get off!"

_If I let go, he'll slam me into the ground and I'll be finished, _thought Acidpaw, _If I stay here, Coppersky will eventually grab me, or he'll drag me around until one of the other cats trample me._

Acidpaw let go of Coppersky's leg and quickly tackled him to the ground, trying to get at the CanyonClan cat's neck.

Coppersky had his paw under Acidpaw's chin, keeping the black cat's jaws away from his throat.

Acidpaw's eyes narrowed, _Perfect._

He grabbed Coppersky's paw in his teeth and bit down. He felt one of his canines pierce the soft skin of Coppersky's pawpad.

The deputy howled in pain, kicking Acidpaw in the gut. He rolled onto his stomach and shakily stood up, his injured paw a few inches in the air, blood steadily dripping from it. Acidpaw had cut extremely deep. Coppersky wasn't able to put his paw down.

"Any last words?" hissed Acidpaw.

"You brat!" snarled Coppersky, "Don't you dare underestimate me!"

The brown cat slammed his injured paw into the ground and hurled himself at Acidpaw, knocking him onto his back.

_He shouldn't be able to walk!_ thought Acidpaw frantically, _What's going on?!_

Coppersky dug his claws into Acidpaw's shoulders, drawing blood.

"Fool," laughed Coppersky, "I am a CanyonClan cat. If you can recall, we have no Medicine Cat. We've been trained to be unstoppable, no matter what kind of pain we're in."

Acidpaw started struggling under the CanyonClan's grip. _Foxdung! I've taken him too lightly!_

"CanyonClan Warriors cannot be stopped until they are dead!" yowled Coppersky.

He pitched forward and sunk his teeth into Acidpaw's neck.

The black-furred tom felt his oxygen get cut off. A numb feeling spread through his body and his vision blurred.

_Am I going to…_

_**No…**_

_I don't want…_

_**I won't allow you…**_

**To die…**

"NO!"

There was a burst of energy in Acidpaw's legs. He kicked Coppersky in the stomach and sent him sprawling to the ground. In an almost panicked leap, Acidpaw lunged forward and clawed at the CanyonClan deputy, aiming for his throat. His claws hit, and the brown cat stumbled backwards.

"I'll kill you, brat!" hissed Coppersky, enraged.

Acidpaw watched him carefully, panting hard. _That was just a fluke. I won't be so lucky next time. _He looked up at the sky, _I shouldn't have survived that. He had me. Did StarClan protect me?_

Acidpaw didn't have time to finish his train of thought. He knelt down, the weakness of blood loss just kicking in.

"Foxdung…" he muttered, "I don't have enough strength to keep going…"

"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to rip you to shreds!" Coppersky started coming closer.

Acidpaw closed his eyes. _At least… I'll die fighting…_

"Given up?!" yowled Coppersky, "I underestimated you! You're almost not worth killing!"

_Maybe he'll spare me, _thought the black-furred tom.

"But more importantly, you underestimated **me**! For that, you must die!"

Acidpaw flinched. _This is it, then…_

He let his body go limp.

"ACIDPAW!"

The apprentice opened his acid-green eyes.

"R-Rain…paw?"

She was standing a dozen foxlengths away, crying. "Acidpaw! Get up! Get up!"

_What… is she doing on the battlefield?_

Coppersky was slowly coming closer, his blue eyes glowing with rage.

"Get up! Acidpaw! Get up!" howled Rainpaw, "Fight! Come on! You can make it!"

Rainpaw started to come forward, her eyes wide with panic. _I've got to save him!_

Acidpaw lifted his head weakly. "R-Rainpaw… St-stay back!"

"But—"

"Rainpaw, do you want to die?!" rasped Acidpaw, "You don't stand a chance against him! You have lives to save, so give up one the ones that you can't!"

"N-no…"

Coppersky stood over him. "How noble of you."

"Acidpaw! Get up! Please!"

Acidpaw closed his eyes. Coppersky looked down at him and flexed his claws.

"Ready to die, brat?"

"No!" screeched Rainpaw. She broke into a run towards Acidpaw.

Coppersky grabbed her by the throat and sent her skidding across the ground.

"Wait your turn," snarled the CanyonClan deputy, turning his attention back to Acidpaw.

"Acidpaw!" yowled Rainpaw, "Get up! I'm begging you!"

"Just… give up…" he whispered.

Coppersky's paw crashed down onto the black cat's head.

"ACIDPAW! NO!"

The CanyonClan deputy lifted his other paw and started to bring it down towards Acidpaw's throat.

Rainpaw was frozen in fear. _This can't be happening! It can't!_

Suddenly, a ginger blur tackled Coppersky. The brown cat went flying to the side, rolling through the snow.

The ginger cat twitched his black ears and looked down at Acidpaw.

"Are you alright, Acidpaw? Acidpaw!"

Acidpaw stared back up at the cat. His vision blurred and everything went black.

The ginger cat carefully hoisted Acidpaw onto his back. He turned to Rainpaw.

"That was close."

"Th-thank you, Blazingstar," stammered Rainpaw.

"My Warriors are here," he replied, "CanyonClan doesn't stand a chance with our combined forces."

Coppersky rose to his paws, his eyes wide. "PrairieClan is here?!"

Blazingstar smirked. "Would I be here if they weren't?"

The CanyonClan deputy snarled. "I must report this to Roaringstar!"

He disappeared into the crowd of fighting cats.

"Follow me," meowed Blazingstar.

Rainpaw nodded and followed the PrairieClan leader, weaving through the cats locked in combat.

_He brought so many Warriors!_ Rainpaw thought.

"Pantherstar came to get me," he told her.

Rainpaw nodded in understanding.

In a more sheltered part of the woods, where the fighting had not reached, Blazingstar set Acidpaw down onto the ground.

"Looks like he's passed out," muttered the PrairieClan leader, turning to Rainpaw, "Blood loss? You're the Medicine Cat."

Rainpaw moved closer to Acidpaw. There was a deep bite mark in his throat and smaller scratches covered his body.

"I'd best get back to battle," meowed Blazingstar, "Take good care of him."

The ginger tom left the two apprentices by themselves. He tore through the forest, breathing in the familiar scents of the forest. He pushed the old memories out of his head. The trees started thinning and he raced back onto the battlefield. Now ForestClan and PrairieClan had the upper paw.

There was a brown-furred form under the CanyonClan leader's paws.

"Roaringstar!" yowled Blazingstar.

He threw himself at the giant ginger tom, successfully knocking him off of the ForestClan cat.

"Are you okay, Falc?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," he panted, "Th-thank you, Blazingstar."

Blazingstar looked downcast. "Why don't you call me Blaze anymore?"

"You **know** why…" hissed the ForestClan deputy.

Blazingstar was silent for a moment.

"Listen up," meowed Blazingstar, seeing the CanyonClan leader rise to his paws, "I'll take Roaringstar, you go into the forest. Acidpaw was badly hurt. Rainpaw is with him, but I don't know how many herbs she has with her."

"Acidpaw?!" he asked, "What happened?"

"He took on Coppersky," replied Blazingstar, "Now go, or he'll bleed to death!"

"Very well." Falconbeak turned and headed towards the forest.

Blazingstar narrowed his eyes at Roaringstar. "You're going to pay for all the pain you've caused."

"Am I?" the CanyonClan leader shot back.

Blazingstar growled, "I'm a leader as well. Don't take me lightly."

Roaringstar laughed. "You may be a leader, but I have all nine lives."

"As do I."

"You are lying," the CanyonClan leader grinned, "I know the number of lives that you have left, and I could very easily finish you here and now."

Blazingstar's eyes widened. "Wh-what?!" he choked.

"The only reason I don't want to kill you now is because your death would deeply affect the well-being of my plans. Sorry, Blazingstar, looks like you'll have to wait a little longer until you can die."

"Don't insult me!" he yowled, charging at Roaringstar.

Roaringstar reared up onto his hind legs and slammed his front paws against Blazingstar's shoulders.

"Now, now, Blazingstar," he hissed, "Is that any way to treat your father?"

The PrairieClan leader froze. "What are you saying…?"

"You've always wanted to know who your father was, and I've just told you," a dark grin was spread across Roaringstar's face, "Shouldn't you be grateful?"

"You… can't be…"

"But I am!" he roared, shoving his son to the ground. He leaned toward Blazingstar's ear, "And you couldn't hurt your own father, could you?"

Roaringstar backed away and leaped onto a tall rock. "Retreat, CanyonClan! We are outnumbered!"

All the fighting stopped, and the CanyonClan cats sent their enemies spiteful glares before they followed their leader back into the desert.

Lavaflame stood panting. "Thank you, PrairieClan."

Blazingstar rose to his paws. He looked distracted. "It was no problem. Come, PrairieClan, we're going home."

Slowly, the cats from the prairie disappeared as well.

Lavaflame, still breathing hard, looked around at the ForestClan cats.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Tigerpelt is dead," reported Silverdiamond, "Lynxpaw and Stripepaw are unconscious. I need cats to help carry them back."

"The only cats we can't find are Falconbeak, Rainpaw, and Acidpaw," added Sharktooth.

"We're right here," came the deputy's voice. He was carrying Acidpaw on his back.

"Acidpaw is unconscious as well, but his bleeding has been stopped," meowed Rainpaw from beside him.

"Let's return then…"

Falconbeak organized for cats to help the injured back to camp. Tasks were quickly assigned and the elders were called to come get Tigerpelt's body.

Foxclaw had her face buried in her mate's fur, Wolfpaw right beside her. Blindnose padded closer to Tigerpelt. The usual gleam of amusement in his eyes was gone. He nudged Tigerpelt's head.

"You weren't supposed to go before me…" he murmured, "My only son."

Rainpaw watched the cats grieve before turning back to Silverdiamond.

"It's not fair," she meowed, "He shouldn't have gone like this."

"It's life, Rainpaw," Silverdiamond whispered, "You weren't there when he died, because I can assure you that if you were, it would be many times more painful. Now come. We have cats to treat."

The white she-cat followed her mentor in silence.

_PrairieClan…_

"What's the Clan's status?" Blazingstar asked Whitelily.

The white-furred Medicine Cat looked up from treating a Warrior's injured shoulder. "We have no deaths, very few serious injuries…"

"I'm glad," replied the leader, "CanyonClan doesn't normally back down. But Whitelily, there's something I need to talk to you about…"

"Yes?" she asked, dismissing the Warrior with a flick of her tail.

"Roaringstar knows."

Whitelily's eyes widened. "No… but then that means…"

"Yes. He knows that one of them is alive," Blazingstar went on, "But I have no idea where."

Whitelily let out a long sigh. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," he replied, "I just need to hope that there won't be an all-out war."

"An all-out, four-clan war hasn't happened in over one hundred seasons."

"It's perfectly possible," meowed Blazingstar, "CanyonClan and MountainClan versus ForestClan and PrairieClan."

"Just get some rest," Whitelily told him, "Think about this later. Leaf-bare is a rough season, and giving your mind a workout is just as tiring as fighting a battle. It's not wise to do two in one day."

Blazingstar smiled softly. "I guess not."

He turned to leave the Medicine Cat den. As he approached his own, he couldn't help but think:

_If there __**is**__ an all-out war… I'm finished._

_CanyonClan desert edge…_

"What's our next step?" asked a brown cat. His small form and amber eyes were quivering in excitement.

"CanyonClan will attack again," he meowed, "That gives you more time for you to manipulate your Clan."

"Very good," he replied, "I'll do my best, Roaringstar, and I won't disappoint you."

"Good. We will meet again in one moon."

"Yes, sir."

The brown cat disappeared.

_ForestClan Medicine Cat den…_

"I can't believe this, Acidpaw!" yowled Rainpaw.

Acidpaw looked at her from the corner of his eye. "What?"

"What? **What?**" screeched Rainpaw, "You gave up! What's wrong with you?!"

"Look, I'm sorry," he muttered, "Can you keep it down? My head is killing me."

Rainpaw sighed. She looked around at the other cats in the Medicine Cat den. Luckily, they were all still sleeping or unconscious. Tigerpelt's burial had already taken place, and all the injured had been taken care of.

"You scared me. I thought you were seriously going to die."

"So did I."

"Why didn't you get up and run?" she asked.

"I couldn't even stand, Rainpaw," he meowed.

Her ears drooped. "I'm sorry. All I could do was stand there. I was useless."

Acidpaw was silent for a moment. "… You're a Medicine Cat. I'm a Warrior. Our paths are different. Stop beating yourself up for the life that you chose to take."

He said no more, his eyes closing. His breathing evened out and Rainpaw could tell that he had fallen asleep.

"What am I supposed to do?" she whispered.

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**A/N:** I know the ending is abrupt, but I didn't know where else to end it. I also don't like the ending, it's just… ew. Next chapter shouldn't take too long.


	3. True Bloodline

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

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**some crazy girl who likes pie:** That's okay. ;3 Aww, thank you! Heheheheh… of **course** people like Acidpaw. -coughRainpawcough- Thank you for the review!

**Lightkit:** Contrary to popular belief, Pantherstar actually **does** have a reason to not give Acidpaw his Warrior Name (not a good reason, but still…). That reason will be revealed later, waaaaay later. Thanks for reviewing!

**WolfSummoner93:** I actually am kind of sad that I had to kill off Tigerpelt. He was a fun character. It's too bad that I didn't get to elaborate a little more on his personality. Thanks for reviewing!

**Silent Solace:** -sniffle- Poor old Tigerpelt… D: Well, yes, Acidpaw has every right to feel hostile, don't you think? XD But yeah, sometimes, he gives off that "evil" aura. Thank you so much for your review! -hug-

**Moonstar of FireClan:** Thankies for the freaking enormous review! :D Heheh, I have a few issues with not making stuff rushed. Thanks, I'll keep it in mind! :) Haha, I'm glad Blazingstar has a fan! He's definitely going to have some more time to himself, I'll try to stick in a few scenes of him and PrairieClan. A lot of people seem to be noticing Acidpaw's… "darker side" (Oh dear god, that sounded cheesy). Whether it means anything or not… I cannot tell you.

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**A/N:** Eheheheh… Hi? -gets killed by reviewers- Sorry this took so freaking long. Really, I am. I have somewhat of an excuse at the Author's Note at the bottom. Check it if you want.

So here's chapter three! This might shock some people! And I really hate this chapter. A lot. I don't know what I did wrong, but it's terrible.

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_**ForestClan: War of the Clans**_

**Chapter Three**

True Bloodline

Acidpaw sat in the Medicine Cat den, staring at the ceiling.

It had been twelve sunrises since the fight with CanyonClan and his brush with death. More importantly, Acidpaw was bored out of his mind. His neck was still aching from the bite wound, so he was condemned to the Medicine Cat den for another ten sunrises. There was absolutely nothing to do, and Acidpaw could feel himself getting more and more out of shape.

It also didn't help that he had Stripepaw complaining in the next nest over.

"Silverdiamond!" the striped cat whined, "When can I leave?"

The Medicine Cat sighed in exasperation. She didn't even turn around. "This is the third time today, Stripepaw, you can't leave here until all your injuries are closed, and that could take anywhere between another four and twenty sunrises."

"That **long**?!" he wailed.

"Will you just shut up?" snapped Acidpaw, "Be thankful that your windpipe wasn't almost cleaved clean in half!"

Stripepaw had a large gash running along his side and a vertical slash that went across his left eye. Luckily, his eye was undamaged, but both wounds would definitely leave scars.

The tabby snorted. "At least I'm not so stupid to challenge the deputy!"

"Speak for yourself!" hissed Acidpaw, "You were fighting Stormstreak, the third most powerful cat in CanyonClan!"

"Quiet down, you two!" growled Rainpaw, her ears twitching in irritation, "Your yowling will force your wounds open, and you'll both be stuck here longer!"

The two toms snarled and turned away from each other.

Rainpaw glanced at Stripepaw, "Acidpaw saved Snakefang's life. If I can remember, you were showing off, thinking you could finish off a well-trained Warrior."

Stripepaw muttered angrily to himself, burying his muzzle in his tail.

"You lucky apprentices!" groaned Hawktalon, who came to visit Acidpaw, "At least you were able to fight! I was ambushed! I'm so ashamed!"

The older cat rolled onto his back, his paws beating the air in frustration.

Acidpaw blinked. _He's acting like a kit…_

"Hawktalon, stop that," chided Silverdiamond, "You don't want your wounds to reopen, do you?"

Sighing loudly, Hawktalon rose to his paws. "You're right. I should get going. I'll come visit tomorrow, Acidpaw."

The black-furred apprentice nodded.

After Acidpaw's mentor left, Silverdiamond turned to Rainpaw.

"You should go check on Winterflame," she meowed, "He hasn't come by with fresh-kill, and I'm getting the feeling that Falconbeak and Pantherstar are not pleased at all."

"Sure," Rainpaw headed for the Medicine Cat Den exit. She stopped next to Acidpaw, "I need to talk to you later," she whispered.

Acidpaw frowned, but nodded.

Rainpaw squinted as she stepped out into camp. The snow made it glaringly bright outside. Hawktalon was talking to Pantherstar. She heard their conversation as she passed by.

"Pantherstar, don't you think that it's time that Acidpaw has gotten his Warrior name?" asked the brown-furred cat.

"We do not have time to prepare ceremonies or the like. There is a big battle coming, I am sure of it. All the apprentices must be in training."

"But, Pantherstar!" he meowed, "The other apprentices are nowhere near his level! I have nothing left to teach him! What am I supposed to do?!"

The she-cat's eyes narrowed. "Hawktalon, I just said, I have no time to organize a ceremony, nor do I have the time to assess his abilities."

Pantherstar started to pad away.

"But it would be such a better benefit if he were to help with the other apprentices' training," Hawktalon protested, "He's got the skills to be a mentor, and he would no doubt be able to strengthen the other apprentices!"

"This discussion is over, Hawktalon," hissed Pantherstar over her shoulder.

Hawktalon's ears drooped.

Rainpaw stared at the spot where Pantherstar was previously standing, her eyes wide. How could Pantherstar say something like that?! That was the lamest excuse she had ever heard!

Acidpaw's mentor noticed her. "You saw that, Rainpaw?"

She nodded numbly.

Hawktalon sighed. "I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do now. Acidpaw's skill and experience is far beyond any other apprentice I've seen, yet why can't Pantherstar see that it's way past the time for him to become a Warrior?!"

Rainpaw was silent.

"Sorry to shove this all onto you, Rainpaw," meowed Hawktalon sheepishly, "I just don't know what to do…"

"It's okay…" Rainpaw trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"I'm getting the feeling that he's under so much pressure that he might snap," Hawktalon went on, "If he isn't made a Warrior soon, he might lose respect for ForestClan and he could…"

Hawktalon shook his head, not finishing the sentence.

_You have __**no**__ idea…_ thought Rainpaw, _Any day now, and he might just leave. It's already been six moons since we made that deal._

"I don't know," the Medicine Cat apprentice said slowly, "I'm sorry, Hawktalon."

Hawktalon looked disappointed, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Thanks anyways, Rainpaw."

The Warrior started walking away.

_Will cats come to me for advice? _wondered Rainpaw, _I've never thought of it as being me, but I've noticed that lots of our Clan members come to Silverdiamond for help. Will I ever be as good as Silverdiamond?_

Rainpaw shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She made her way towards the Small Woods.

_Small Woods…_

It was sunhigh by the time that Rainpaw reached the Small Woods. The snow crunched under her paws, and sunlight shone through the trees. It was still cold, but at least it wasn't cloudy.

"Mistypaw?" she called.

There was rustling in an evergreen bush next to her. The white she-cat stepped out.

"Hi Rainpaw!" she meowed cheerfully, "What brings you here?"

"Just stopping by," replied Rainpaw, "Silverdiamod wanted me to go see how everyone here is doing. She also wanted to know if Winterflame was going to bring the Clan some fresh-kill."

"Winterflame?" asked Mistypaw, "Yeah, he's a fantastic hunter. He has a fresh-kill pile where he's living, he said he was going to take it up to the Clan today."

Rainpaw let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I thought he was going to get kicked out if he waited much longer."

"That's what Pantherstar told him he's got to do if he wants to stay on Clan territory, right?" Mistypaw went on, "Doesn't that seem a bit harsh?"

Rainpaw nodded, "That's what I thought too. Lately, Pantherstar doesn't seem to be… I dunno… fair."

"It's because she's not promoting any apprentices to Warriors, right?"

"Yeah. We're a total of eleven apprentices," Rainpaw rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Honestly, you'd think it'd be time for Acidpaw to move up. Stripepaw and Spotpaw look ready too."

"Acidpaw's definitely ready to be a Warrior," Winterflame padded towards them, "He practically took on that dog by himself."

Jaggedtail also appeared, "Yeah. Winterflame told us he was probably strong enough to be Clan deputy."

Rainpaw nodded. "He could be."

Winterflame looked over to Rainpaw, "I have a whole bunch of fresh-kill where we live. Could you help me bring it back?"

"Sure."

"I'll help too," meowed Mistypaw.

Rainpaw followed Mistypaw, Jaggedtail, and Winterflame to a small clearing. There was a hollow log on the far right.

"Jaggedtail and I thought that we should share our den with Winterflame," explained Mistypaw, "It works out well, because Winterflame teaches us to hunt and fight like normal apprentices."

"It's like having a proper mentor!" purred Jaggedtail.

Winterflame smiled, "Glad I can be of some help."

The pile of fresh-kill that Mistypaw spoke of was just inside the log. It was a small pile, but it would help the Clan considerably.

Rainpaw's mouth watered. How could they stand seeing it there, but not eating it?!

Winterflame picked up a crow, its black feathers contrasting with his white fur. Mistypaw somehow crammed two chickadees in her mouth, and Rainpaw got the remaining vole and squirrel.

Jaggedtail watched them leave, and Rainpaw vaguely wondered why he wasn't helping, then she remembered. Jaggedtail had killed Oakstump, and he wasn't welcome in any of the Clans.

_He only did it to protect Mistypaw from Roaringstar, and here he is, stuck as a loner and labeled as a traitor. And Mistypaw's not in a safe situation either,_ she thought,_ But then again, Oakstump didn't deserve to die…_

Falconbeak greeted them as they entered camp.

"It's about time you brought our fresh-kill," he grumbled.

Winterflame winced but nodded. The three white cats padded over to the tiny fresh-kill pile and put down their kills.

"Will this be enough for everyone?" he asked.

Falconbeak eyed the fresh-kill pile, analyzing how many it could feed.

"The elders have already been fed," Rainpaw meowed.

"Can I bring some fresh-kill to the nursery?" asked Mistypaw.

Falconbeak nodded, "Yes, and I think that this will do for the Warriors and apprentices as well."

The deputy sorted through the pile and dropped a scrawny mouse in front of Winterflame.

"Here. Eat."

_That's all?! _Rainpaw was furious, _He caught half this pile, and all he gets is a mouse with not enough meat on it to feed a kit?!_

But Winterflame didn't object. He bowed his head and flattened his ears. "I appreciate this. Thank you."

He picked up his fresh-kill in his jaws and turned to leave. Falconbeak nodded at him and entered the Warriors' den.

Mistypaw re-emerged from the nursery.

"Lionkit and Redkit are Acidpaw's brother and sister?!" she asked.

Rainpaw nodded.

"They're so cute!" she meowed, "Redkit acts just like him!"

Rainpaw giggled, "I don't think he's noticed, but she really does!"

Mistypaw looked around. "Oh, did Winterflame leave already?"

"Yeah. Falconbeak let him have some fresh-kill, then he left." _Though you could hardly call that fresh-kill._

"I see. I guess I should go catch up to him. Bye, Rainpaw!"

Mistypaw trotted out of camp.

Rainpaw turned back to the Medicine cat den.

"When the sun sets, I'll talk to Acidpaw," she muttered to herself.

_Nursery…_

"That Mistypaw sure was nice, wasn't she?" chirped Redkit cheerfully.

Even though she was still confined to the nursery, she was in an unusually chipper mood. For some reason, Lionkit was worried. It was completely out-of-character for Redkit to be this happy. Normally, at around this time, she would be sulking in the corner, refusing to talk to anyone. Lionkit wondered what was going on.

Another thing that Lionkit noticed was that Redkit was beating Lightningkit in playfights. Before, she couldn't touch him. Now, she was pinning him down, dodging blows, and was even able to take on both Lightningkit and Soulkit at once. And almost win.

It was like someone was training her... but that wasn't possible. No Warrior would dare train a kit before it was out of the nursery, let alone the Leader's only daughter!

Could Acidpaw be…? Nah, he wouldn't do that. He ran into problems enough as it was, he knew that if he risked training kits, he would get into huge trouble.

But still… it was a possibility.

"Oof!"

Lionpaw opened his eyes, his concentration broken.

Redkit had Lightningkit pinned down, a huge grin on her face.

"I beat ya again, Lightningkit!" she mewed triumphantly.

The other kit snorted. "It was just luck."

"Oh yeah? What about those other times that I beat you?!"

Lightningkit fidgeted and looked away, "Those don't count."

"Why not?!"

"I wasn't taking you seriously!"

Redkit snorted. "Fine, then, I'll just go play with Lionkit!"

The cream colored kit rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just give in?"

"Why would I?" huffed Redkit, "I beat him, and he knows it!"

"Just to keep him quiet," growled Lionkit, "I can't sleep with all the noise."

"That's all you do, isn't it?!"

"Yes," meowed Lionkit, yawning widely, "And I quite like it."

"You're impossible!" she screeched, turning away, "Soulkit? Come on, let's play!"

_You're the impossible one,_ thought Lionkit, suppressing a chuckle. He closed his eyes, _Finally, some peace and quiet…_

_ForestClan camp…_

The moon had risen high in the night sky, and every cat had returned to their dens. Rainpaw crept out of the Apprentices' den and into the Medicine Cat den.

Acidpaw was curled up in his nest. Rainpaw padded towards him and nudged him lightly.

"Acidpaw?"

The dark-furred apprentice blinked his eyes open.

"What in the name of StarClan—?"

"Sh!" hissed Rainpaw, "Come on, I need to talk to you."

Acidpaw frowned but rose to his paws, careful not to accidentally reopen his wound.

Looking around to make sure that no one was watching, Rainpaw stepped into camp and into the forest just outside. The black-furred cat followed her.

"Okay, what is this about?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"I… wanted to ask you…" Rainpaw looked down at her paws, "A while ago… Not long after you killed Blueclaw, Roaringstar was supposed to escort me back to ForestClan territory, and, well… he led me into the desert and tried to kill me."

Acidpaw's head shot up.

"What?!" he hissed, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I… I didn't see the need, because Jaggedtail saved me, and I was okay," she replied, "But that's not the problem. When Roaringstar attacked me, he told me he knew my parents, and that he was the cat that made my father disappear."

Acidpaw blinked. He remembered that Gathering where he heard Silverdiamond talking to that white she-cat. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Rainpaw went on.

"I know that there will be some big battle really soon, and it's possible that Roaringstar will get killed."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well yes… but he might be the only one who knows the identity of my parents, and…" Rainpaw trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You want to find out who they are from him."

Rainpaw nodded, "And that won't happen if he's killed."

"So, what you want is for Roaringstar not to die in battle, so that ForestClan can take him back for questioning."

The Medicine Cat apprentice nodded again. "I just don't know how to tell Pantherstar…"

Acidpaw rolled his eyes. "You've come to the wrong cat. I don't know how to—or want to—deal with Pantherstar."

"I know… but I don't know how to word it," she meowed, "And if I don't ask now, it might be too late."

There were a few minutes of silence.

Acidpaw took a deep breath.

"Rainpaw?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember way back, when I snuck to the Gathering for the first time? When I almost fell of the side of the Canyon?"

Rainpaw laughed darkly. "How could I forget?"

"During the Gathering did you notice Silverdiamond leave?"

"Yeah… I asked her where she went, and she said she found some juniper berries. Why?"

"Well, she was lying. I saw her talking to another cat."

Rainpaw's eyes widened. "Who was it?"

"I don't know, I didn't see her face," he answered, "But she was saying weird things. She said… that she was your mother."

The Medicine Cat Apprentice gasped. "She… my mother… is a Clan cat?!"

"Yes. She wanted to take you back, but Silverdiamond refused."

"Why didn't you tell me right away?!"

"I… sort of forgot."

Rainpaw groaned in exasperation. "Acidpaw! Who was it?!"

"I don't know. But it was a white cat, with a gray marking on the tip of her tail."

"Who could it be?" muttered Rainpaw, "There are so few other white cats in ForestClan…"

"I think she's in another Clan," meowed Acidpaw, "Otherwise I would know who it was."

"That's ridiculous, Acidpaw. If my mother were in a Clan other than ForestClan, I wouldn't be here. I'd be wherever she was."

"Not necessarily," disagreed Acidpaw, "ForestClan and CanyonClan share borders. If Roaringstar "made your parents disappear", then your mother probably ran away to another Clan. Either that, or she's a loner now."

"We should ask around at the next Gathering," suggested Rainpaw, "Look for white she-cats, and ask if there have been any white-furred loners hanging around."

"I highly doubt that there's going to be another Gathering anytime soon," muttered Acidpaw, "Not with CanyonClan as it is right now."

"What are we going to do?"

"Ask Silverdiamond."

"I have, a long time ago. She just said she didn't know and then she told me to get back to sorting my herbs."

There was another bout of silence. In the distance, there was the crunching of snow.

Acidpaw's ears twitched. "Foxdung! Someone's coming!"

"Hide!" hissed Rainpaw.

"Where?!"

"I don't know, figure something out!"

Acidpaw looked around frantically. There was nowhere to go. The trees and bushes were bare of their leaves and there was no tall grass to offer any cover.

Rainpaw squeezed her eyes shut. "We're going to get in **so** much trouble!"

The black-furred cat sighed. Great. Just what he needed.

The crunching of the snow became louder and louder. A cat stepped into view.

"Rainpaw? Is that you?"

Rainpaw let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, Whitelily, it's just you. You scared us!"

"Sorry about that!" the PrairieClan Medicine Cat laughed sheepishly.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Rainpaw.

"Well, one of the queens has whitecough, and she's not doing so well," explained Whitelily, "I'm afraid that it might become greencough, and we have no catmint. I was wondering if I could take some. I know that there's a lot that grows around here during greenleaf."

"I'm sure that Silverdiamond would be glad to help you," purred Rainpaw, "We have plenty."

"That's good," meowed Whitelily, "I was worried that I might not be able to get some."

The PrairieClan Medicine Cat turned to Acidpaw, who was frowning at her.

_Whitelily… she can't be…_ he thought.

"You're hurt."

Acidpaw blinked, the white she-cat's voice cutting through his thoughts.

"Y-yeah."

"You shouldn't be out here, you should be recovering," she scolded, "If Silverdiamond knew you were out here, she would no doubt be very angry."

Acidpaw rolled his eyes. "What, I'm not allowed a breath of fresh air from time to time? Do you have any idea how long I've been stuck inside that stuffy den? I swear, one more day, and I'll—"

Whitelily flicked her tail on Acidpaw's nose to silence his complaints. The black-furred apprentice's eyes widened. The tip of her tail wasn't white like the rest of her fur. It was gray.

Acidpaw stepped back, his eyes wide, looking back and forth between Whitelily and Rainpaw.

_It __**can't**__ be…_

Whitelily's breathing became faster, and fear-scent laced through the air. "What is it, Acidpaw?"

"… Nothing."

Swallowing loudly, Whitelily turned to Rainpaw. "L-let's go."

Rainpaw nodded, shooting Acidpaw a glance. She led the way back to camp.

They stopped in front of the Medicine Cat den.

"I'm really tired, so I'm going to get some sleep," muttered Rainpaw, shuffling her paws nervously, "It was nice seeing you, Whitelily."

_Whatever that tension is between Whitelily and Acidpaw is about, I don't want to get involved in… _she thought, slowly turning away.

Acidpaw gazed at the PrairieClan Medicine Cat. He could still smell Whitelily's fear-scent.

"Hey, Whitelily?" he asked quietly.

She jumped and spun around. "Y-yes?"

Suppressing a sigh, Acidpaw looked up at Whitelily with the most pitiful face he could manage without completely tearing his pride to shreds.

"Please don't tell Silverdiamond that I was out of the Medicine Cat den," he meowed, bowing his head and stared at his paws, "I've gotten into a lot of trouble lately, and I really don't need any more."

Whitelily smiled a little. "Sure thing, Acidpaw. It's between you and me. Now go on, go inside and get some rest. You need it."

Acidpaw smiled a fake smile. "Thanks." _Great, I feel disgusting now._

"You're welcome. You're so cute."

_Shut up._ Acidpaw nodded at her and curled up in his nest. He closed his eyes, but had no intention to sleep.

He heard Whitelily's pawsteps a few moments later. She walked past him into Silverdiamond's hollow.

"Silverdiamond? It's Whitelily."

"What are you doing here at this hour?" came Silverdiamond's voice.

"We've got a queen with a bad case of whitecough…" Whitelily trailed off.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, Silverdiamond returned to her nest and Whitelily started to leave. Acidpaw rose to his paws and stealthily followed her, always keeping at least nine foxlengths away from her.

Acidpaw poked his head into the Apprentice Den.

"Rainpaw!" he hissed.

The white-furred she-cat's eyes shot open. "What?"

"Follow me, and don't make a sound!"

She opened her mouth to ask him why, but he silenced her with a withering glare.

She joined him outside. Acidpaw glanced around before saying:

"Stay behind me, in the shadows. There's something I need to find out."

Rainpaw nodded.

Acidpaw broke into a slow run, hurrying to catch up with Whitelily. They entered the forest and were quickly approaching the border.

Suddenly, Acidpaw called out into the darkness. "Whitelily."

The Medicine Cat stopped. She put down her herbs. "What is it, Acidpaw?"

Out of nowhere, Acidpaw sprang at her, pinning her to the ground.

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

"Tell me the truth, Whitelily!" he snarled, "Were you the one talking to Silverdiamond in secret, at that Gathering all those moons ago?"

"I d-don't know what you're—"

"You were. I recognize that mark on your tail. You're… you're Rainpaw's mother, aren't you?!"

From behind a nearby tree, Rainpaw's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"N-no!" Whitelily started struggling.

"You are, aren't you?"

There was a stretch of silence, followed by a sigh.

"Yes. I am Rainpaw's mother," she looked up at Acidpaw, a pleading look in her eyes, "I beg you, don't tell **anyone**. I-if I get found out—"

"What?!" Rainpaw burst from the shadows into the open.

Acidpaw turned his head. "What in StarClan's name are you doing?! You were supposed to stay there!"

But Rainpaw wasn't paying attention to him. "Is this true, Whitelily?"

Whitelily scrambled out of Acidpaw's grip to her paws. She took a few steps and turned tail, disappearing into the darkness.

"Wait, Whitelily!" Rainpaw called after her. She started forward, but Acidpaw stood in front of her.

"It's no use now. She's gone."

The Medicine Cat apprentice sat down hard and grit her teeth. "It **can't** be Whitelily! She's a Medicine Cat!"

"I know."

She dug her claws into the ground.

"I always wondered why she was so nice to me… Now I see why." Her tone was bitter, "This makes my existence against the Warrior Code, doesn't it? I wonder who my father is."

"None of it matters."

Rainpaw's head shot up. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?! I'm not supposed to be alive! Much less in **ForestClan**! If everyone knew the truth, they wouldn't want me here! You're the son of Redstar and Pantherstar, for StarClan's sake! You're a loyal ForestClan Warrior! You shouldn't want me here either!"

"You're wrong," muttered Acidpaw, "If everyone knew, you'd still be acknowledged as a full ForestClan cat. Look at me. More than half the Clan hates my guts, despite the fact that my parents are both ForestClan leaders. You're a likeable cat, Rainpaw, it wouldn't matter where you came from, you'd still be accepted. And obviously, StarClan accepts you too, seeing as you're a Medicine Cat, one of the closest cats to them."

"It was Whitelily, all along…" she lowered her head again, tears sliding down her face.

Acidpaw growled, "Stop! It's not worth crying over!"

Rainpaw rose angrily to her paws. "Why should I?"

Before Acidpaw could reply, she turned around and stormed back to camp. The black cat sighed and padded back to the Medicine Cat den. Luckily, no one was awake. He curled up in his nest and eventually fell asleep.

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**A/N (READ PLEASE):** I freaking HATE this chapter. Urgh, it's just so bad. I hate it. Ew. It's awful. Constructive criticism is nice.

Part of the reason this chapter sucks is because, when I was editing it, I made a lot of corrections, and then, of course, my hard drive on my school laptop goes and crashes. I do most of my fanfic-writing on my laptop, so I lost all of my editing for this chapter, editing for chapter four, and the worst, my first draft of chapter five. Luckily, I had older copies of chapter three and four, but still. Eh. This chapter sucks.


	4. Ambush

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

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**WolfSummoner93:** Aww, thanks you so much! -hug- Thank you for the review!

**Lightkit**: Thank you! Uhh… I'm not sure, actually. It might not be. I'll have to go check. In my opinion, though, it looks nicer when it's capitalized. But that could just be me and my messed up brain.

**Moonstar of FireClan:** Roaringstar didn't make Whitelily disappear, he just scared the crap out of her. He made Rainpaw's father, who shall stay unknown for now, disappear. Mistypaw's parents are Lavaflame and Lionclaw, and her real siblings are Oceanpaw and Breezepaw. Jaggedtail's parents are Roaringstar (because he has **the eyes**) and Silentstar. Mangledpaw? Well, in the allegiances it says that he is Hawkheart's littermate. Scarletleaf is one of the Three Red Sons, so his parents are Silverdiamond and Roaringstar. Hahah, glad you like Acidpaw's "cuteness". Thank you so much for the gigantic review!

**Violets in Shadow:** XD I'm lazy too (that's partly the reason why this story's updates are so… infrequent). Thank you for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story!

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**A/N:** Chapter four! HOLY— I think this the first time I've updated so quickly! Chapter three came out on April 30th, and it's May 29th. I'm so proud of myself… -sniffle- Anyways, on with the story!

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_**ForestClan: War of the Clans**_

**Chapter Four**

Ambush

For the ten sunrises that followed, Acidpaw could not get Rainpaw to talk to him.

_Maybe I was a bit too harsh,_ he thought, _I guess finding out that your mother was not who you thought she was must be hard to accept. If I found out that Pantherstar and Redstar weren't really my parents, I don't know if I could accept that._

Acidpaw watched her sort through her herbs half-heartedly, a vacant expression on her face.

_She's taking this a lot harder than I thought, _Acidpaw mused, _Although I think she's exaggerating a little. I mean, Silverdiamond is my grandmother, which is against the Warrior Code, and you don't see me moping around._

"Rainpaw, I'm going out for a while," Silverdiamond called.

The white-furred apprentice didn't say anything.

"Rainpaw!"

Rainpaw jerked her head up. "Huh?"

"I'm going out for a while," her mentor repeated slowly.

Rainpaw nodded. "Okay."

After Silverdiamond left, Stripepaw turned to look at the Medicine Cat Apprentice.

"Rainpaw, are you okay?" he asked, "You've been acting really out of it, lately."

"I'm fine," she muttered.

There was a stretch of silence.

"It's been ten sunrises," Acidpaw meowed, "Can I leave?"

"It's up to Silverdiamond," replied Rainpaw, not looking at him.

Acidpaw rolled his eyes. "You've been Medicine Cat Apprentice for what, six moons? Shouldn't you have the authority to dismiss cats?"

Rainpaw whipped around to face him. "And you? You've been an apprentice for over ten moons! Shouldn't **you** be a Warrior by now?"

Stripepaw jumped at her outburst. "Whoa…"

Acidpaw glared at her. "It's not **my** fault that Pantherstar is too full of foxdung to see that I'm ready to be Warrior."

The Medicine Cat Apprentice snarled, "You know what? I don't think that your skills are a problem, Acidpaw. In fact, you're quite possibly the strongest apprentice in the four Clans. The problem is your attitude. You're a cold, unfeeling, insensitive jerk!"

Acidpaw stood up and was about to make a rude retort, but Rainpaw went on.

"You're just as bad as your grandfather!"

The black cat's eyes widened. He looked down at his paws. Rainpaw stood in front of him, bristling, waiting to see what he was going to say.

In the background, Stripepaw was asking who Acidpaw's grandfather was.

"Am I really?"

Rainpaw realized with a sinking feeling the severity of what she had just said. "W-wait, Acidpaw, I didn't mean—Wait!"

Acidpaw didn't let her finish her sentence. He walked right past Rainpaw and into camp, ignoring the freezing rain that pelted against his fur.

A dead silence hung in the Medicine Cat den.

"What just happened?" asked Stripepaw quietly.

"I shouldn't have said that…" whispered Rainpaw.

Silverdiamond suddenly returned to the den. She looked from Stripepaw to Rainpaw.

"What's wrong, you two?" she inquired, "What happened? You both look like you've seen a ghost!"

Neither apprentices said a word.

"Where's Acidpaw?" she went on, "I was about to say that he could go, but he's not even here. Where is he?"

It was Stripepaw who answered. "He… already left."

"Did you dismiss him, Rainpaw?"

Rainpaw shook her head. "I… I got really angry at him. I think I seriously offended him."

"What did you say?"

"I called him a cold, unfeeling, insensitive jerk."

Rainpaw and Stripepaw were both perfectly aware of the fact that it was not those words that hurt him, but the way Rainpaw had compared him to his grandfather.

But it was only Rainpaw and Acidpaw knew that she meant Roaringstar of CanyonClan.

_Small Woods…_

"…So give catching the birds a shot. It's really not as hard as it looks," Winterflame was instructing Mistypaw, "Just remember to stay in the low branches so that you don't seriously injure yourselves."

"Okay," she replied.

"Don't worry," meowed Jaggedtail, "I'll be with you the whole time!"

"I'll go that way to see if I can find some shallow burrows that I can dig up," the white-furred tom pointed with his tail in one direction, then switched to the other, "You guys go that way and get some birds."

They nodded and went in the direction indicated.

"I'm really nervous," muttered Mistypaw to Jaggedtail, "What if I fall?"

"You'll be fine," replied Jaggedtail, "It's exactly as Winterflame said. It's really easy!"

Mistypaw purred. "Thanks, Jaggedtail."

Mistypaw and Jaggedtail were raised as brother and sister in CanyonClan, but it had been discovered that Mistypaw's real family came from ForestClan, and that she had been kitnapped by Roaringstar when she still too young to see. Even though Jaggedtail and Mistypaw both knew that they had no relation whatsoever, they still treated each other like brother and sister.

Suddenly, Jaggedtail heard a flutter of wings. "Sh!"

Mistypaw went silent.

"Over there," whispered the enormous tabby tom, "I think I hear a bird!"

Silently, the two exiled cats made their way towards a large birch tree. Sure enough, there was a crow sitting on a low branch.

"I'll go up," muttered Mistypaw, "I'll go higher than it is and jump down on it. If I miss, it'll fly towards the ground anyways, so try to catch it then."

Jaggedtail nodded. "Be careful."

"I will!"

Mistypaw latched onto the tree, slowly climbing further up than the crow. She looked down at Jaggedtail, and he nodded.

Without making a sound, Mistypaw launched herself at the crow. The bird realized that she was there and squawked loudly, flying towards the ground. Jaggedtail leaped high into the air and landed on in, killing it with a swift bite to the back of the neck.

Mistypaw jumped down from the tree. "We did it!" she meowed triumphantly.

Jaggedtail dropped the crow and laughed. "See, I told you! It was exactly like Winterflame said! Easy!"

"He'll be really happy, and I think that ForestClan's elders will like it too," purred the white-furred she-cat, "We did a really good job!"

Jaggedtail looked down at his paws. "I… I think you should eat it. It's your first crow."

Mistypaw's eyes widened. "But… We have to feed the Clan first!"

"It's your kill. Normally, in camp, they would've saved this for you, anyways," argued the tabby.

"Pantherstar let us stay on her territory! We should be thankful and do whatever we can to help her Clan!"

"Still…" Jaggedtail muttered.

There was a short silence. It was broken by a horribly familiar voice.

"Well, well, well… what do we have here? Two CanyonClan exiles with no place to go."

The two loners looked up. They gasped.

"Roaringstar!" they hissed.

The CanyonClan leader stood about fifteen badgerlengths away. All of his strongest Warriors were behind him.

_They're going to attack ForestClan again! _thought Mistypaw in horror.

"Jaggedtail, come on!"

"But—"

"Now!"

The two younger cats turned and ran.

"Mistypaw, where are we going?!" panted Jaggedtail.

"ForestClan camp!" she answered, "I'm positive that those CanyonClan cats were here to attack!"

They passed Winterflame, who dropped his mouse and started to run after them. Mistypaw quickly explained what happened.

"We have to warn them!" meowed Winterflame.

Jaggedtail stopped. "I… I can't go in there."

Mistypaw and Winterflame nodded and burst into ForestClan camp.

"What's going on?" asked Falconbeak, "You haven't come with fresh-kill."

"W-we," Mistypaw paused to catch her breath, "We need to speak to Pantherstar!"

"It's urgent!" added Winterflame.

"Why would you need to speak to **our** Leader?" snarled the deputy, putting the emphasis on 'our', "And what is it that's so urgent?"

"She saw a patrol of CanyonClan Warriors!" explained Winterflame.

"Roaringstar was with them!" meowed Mistypaw, almost in tears, "We think that they're here to fight!"

"That's ridiculous," growled Falconbeak, "Why would they attack again so soon. They're too weak to launch another attack. Now go back to where you were, and—"

"Enough, Falconbeak."

Falconbeak turned around. "O-oh! Pantherstar!"

She smiled at Mistypaw. "Thank you for coming to tell us," she turned to her deputy, "Assemble our warriors. Even if this is a false alarm, it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Right away."

Falconbeak turned and left to do as he was told.

"Um… Pantherstar?" asked Mistypaw in a small voice, stepping closer to the ForestClan leader.

"Yes?"

"I… don't think that it's safe for me to stay on your territory anymore," she muttered, shuffling her paws nervously, "And it might put your Clan in danger too. I think that it's best that… that I leave."

Pantherstar sighed. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. I understand the way you think, and I regret to say it, but I think that's what's best for the Clan as well."

Mistypaw dipped her head. "Thank you for understanding."

The ForestClan leader nodded and left to give her Warriors orders.

"I'll tell Jaggedtail for you," offered the white-furred tom.

She turned to him. Winterflame looked downcast. Mistypaw was like a little sister and apprentice to him, he didn't want to lose her so soon.

"Winterflame, thank you so much, for everything!" purred Mistypaw, "I won't forget you, and I know that I'll see you again."

"You're welcome," replied the white-furred tom, "I'll miss you."

Mistypaw brushed her pelt against his.

"I'll miss you too," she replied.

The CanyonClan exile started to leave, but Pantherstar's voice rang out through camp.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey join me here at the Treestump for a quick but important Clan meeting! This includes Mistypaw!"

Frowning a little, Mistypaw turned back and joined the other ForestClan cats. Winterflame stayed behind the crowd.

"As you all have heard, CanyonClan has been sighted on our territory," started Pantherstar, "It was Mistypaw who saw them. She has decided that it would be best for both her and for ForestClan that she leaves."

There were gasps and cries of "no!".

"But before that," continued the leader, "I would like her to step forward to receive her Warrior name."

Mistypaw's eyes widened. "What?! But—"

"Even though Mistypaw received most of her training in CanyonClan, and her only training on our land was given to her by a loner," Pantherstar went on, "She is still a pure-blooded ForestClan cat. I think that it's appropriate that she has her own name."

There were shouts of agreement.

"Mistypaw, please step forward."

The small white she-cat complied, her pawsteps shaky from the shock.

"Mistypaw, do you promise uphold the Warrior Code, even at the cost of you life?"

"I… I do," she stammered.

"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Mistytail. We welcome you as a full Warrior of ForestClan."

Pantherstar leaped down from the Treestump and lay her head on Mistytail's. The new Warrior licked the leader's shoulder.

"Good luck on your journey to come," finished Pantherstar, "Please stay safe."

"Mistytail! Mistytail! Mistytail!" chanted the crowd, including Winterflame.

From camp entrance, Jaggedtail smiled softly. He was happy for her, but he felt a pang of jealousy. His Warrior's Ceremony, if one could even call it that, was rushed and muttered in a dying whisper. He would never be congratulated by his Clanmates, all because he was a traitor and a murderer.

"Why did I do it?" he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, "Oakstump, I'm sorry…"

Jaggedtail opened his eyes again, only to see Mistypaw—Mistytail, he reminded himself—saying her goodbyes to her mother and siblings: Lavaflame, Oceanpaw, and Breezepaw. The tabby tom felt envy stirring in his stomach. It must be nice to have family that was alive and didn't want to tear your guts out.

When the noise died down, the Warriors were ordered to go to their posts around camp. The elders, queens, and kits moved into the Treestump, which was heavily guarded by Falconbeak, Sharktooth, and Snakefang.

Mistytail padded out of camp. Jaggedtail emerged from behind a tree.

"Hey, congrats, Mistytail," he meowed, coming closer and licking her ear.

"Thanks, Jaggedtail," she purred.

"Winterflame told me what happened," he turned around, "I'm coming with you. Even though you're a Warrior, you still need me to protect you. I'm not welcome here, anyways."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, big brother," she replied, standing next to him, "Let's go."

As soon as they reached the border, Mistytail started sobbing.

"Mistyp—tail!" Jaggedtail exclaimed, "What's wrong?!"

"I… I don't want to leave them!" she wailed, "I want to be a ForestClan Warrior!"

"But you are!" Jaggedtail tried soothing her, "You've just received your name!"

"I should be fighting with them!" she cried, "Not running away! I wasn't even trained there! I shouldn't have a name! Not yet! I don't deserve this!"

"It's for your own good," the tabby whispered, "And as soon as all of this is over, you'll go home. You know you have a place to return to. That's more that what I can say."

Mistytail looked up at her friend. "Y-you're right. Come on… l-let's go."

The white-furred she-cat looked back into the forest one more time before jumping over the fence and disappearing into the Twolegplace. She took one last glance at the mountain that loomed in the distance.

_Goodbye Mangledpaw…_

_Treestump…_

Inside the Leader's den, Redkit was seething.

"How **dare** she!" she hissed quietly.

Lionkit lifted his head to look at his sister. "**Now**, what's wrong?"

"Have a nice big ceremony for Mistytail, but not for Acidpaw!" she growled, "She's horrible!"

Lionkit sighed. His sister was right.

"Hush, Redkit," Feathersoul tried to soothe her, "Mistytail deserved it too. She warned us of the CanyonClan Warriors, and she made a very difficult decision."

"I know," muttered Redkit, "I **do** care about Mistytail. She's a really great cat, but Acidpaw deserves it too. He's worked so hard, and he's the best apprentice!"

"If you mean 'best' as in, strongest," meowed the queen, "I agree with you. However, his attitude needs some work."

"That's what everyone says!" groaned Redkit, "But they don't understand!"

The ginger kit turned her back on Feathersoul and Lionkit and proceeded to sulk in the corner of the den.

_One day,_ thought Redkit,_ When Pantherstar dies or retires, I hope that Falconbeak will see Acidpaw's strength. I hope that when Falconbeak's leadership is over, his successor will choose Acidpaw as the new deputy._

Redkit imagined her older brother, standing tall and proud up on the Treestump, his black fur standing out against the pale blue sky, his fierce green eyes gazing down on the next generation of ForestClan.

_And when thay time finally comes, _Redkit's icy blue eyes narrowed, _Acid__**star**__ will be the most powerful leader the Clan has ever had._

_East ForestClan border…_

Hawktalon was furious. Why could a total **stranger** get a Warrior Ceremony, but not his own **apprentice**?! The brown cat kneaded the snow underneath his paws. It was unfair on so many levels. It was a good thing that Acidpaw had not seen the Ceremony, otherwise, the black-furred cat might've been tempted to run away.

"Something bothering you, Hawktalon?" asked Dogpaw.

Hawktalon shook his head furiously. "It's ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Acidpaw should have his Warrior name too," he snarled, "But Pantherstar won't give him a Ceremony. If it stays like this much longer, I'm afraid that Acidpaw will go ballistic."

"Why won't Pantherstar give him his name?"

"I have no idea," Hawktalon sighed, "Something about his behavior, supposedly. But… even so, if she'd just accept him as a Warrior, I'm sure he'd be fine."

"Oh." Dogpaw lowered his head.

There was a stretch of silence before they heard a yowl from Hollythorn:

"They're here! And we're being attacked!"

That was Hawktalon's cue.

"Come on, Dogpaw," he meowed, "The battle has begun."

_Drinking Stream…_

Acidpaw stared at the frozen surface of the drinking pond.

"Just as bad as my grandfather, huh?" he whispered to himself.

He could picture himself being just as cold and brutal as Roaringstar. Maybe this was the path that StarClan wanted him to follow. But to join Roaringstar?

_At first, I'd rather have died, but… _Acidpaw's eyes narrowed,_ What difference does it make? Roaringstar might not hate me, not like everyone here does._

Acidpaw contemplated following in his grandfather's pawprints, as a fierce and proud Warrior of CanyonClan, standing next to Roaringstar himself, looking down on strong and ruthless cats.

He could be great. If he went to CanyonClan… his possibilities were endless. If Roaringstar wanted to fight against ForestClan, he would be facing the cats he grew up with, but he would also be getting revenge for all the pain and loneliness that they had caused him. He would have the respect that he'd always wanted—and deserved.

_Tonight,_ he thought, _I'll go right before dawn. I'm finished here. Rainpaw's time is up, and the deal we made back then is off. ForestClan can't hold me back anymore._

Suddenly, a cat burst from the shadows.

"Acidpaw!"

It was Silverdiamond, with Rainpaw at her heels. The Medicine Cat apprentice was looking at the ground, not wanting to meet Acidpaw's gaze.

Acidpaw felt his pelt heat up in anger. Was she still so furious at him that she refused to look at him?!

Silverdiamond cut through his thoughts before he could say anything.

"Acidpaw, CanyonClan is attacking!" the Medicine Cat said urgently, "We need your help!"

Acidpaw nodded hesitantly. Should he really be fighting CanyonClan if his plans were currently to join them?

Silverdiamond bounded away, leaving Rainpaw and Acidpaw alone.

"Acidpaw?" whispered Rainpaw tentatively.

Acidpaw looked at her, a slightly disgusted look on his face. "What?"

She lifted her head slowly, her eyes not meeting his. She had the most ashamed expression on her face that Acidpaw had ever seen.

"I… I'm so sorry about what I said," she murmured, "It was horrible, and uncalled for. I was just in shock when I found out that Whitelily was my mother. I shouldn't have snapped at you back then, either."

The black-furred tom was silent.

"You don't have to forgive me," Rainpaw went on, "And I didn't expect you to. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

She turned away.

"Come on," she meowed, "I need to get to the battlefield. There are injured cats for me to tend to."

Acidpaw followed behind her. They broke into a run towards the East ForestClan border, near the Small Woods. As they got closer, they could see the fight clearly.

However, it seemed that the ForestClan cats had the advantage this time. They were used to fighting in the woods. CayonClan's numbers were also quite a lot smaller than they were last time. Acidpaw guessed that it was because they hadn't recovered from last time.

Acidpaw quickly spotted Coppersky among the cats that were fighting, and immediately felt his blood burn in rage. The black-furred apprentice wanted to tear that furball apart for the humiliation that he had caused him last time.

Just as Acidpaw was about to spring at the CanyonClan deputy, Hawktalon stepped in front of him.

"What are you doing, Hawktalon?!" he hissed.

Hawktalon remained calm. "I know that you feel like you need to redeem yourself, Acidpaw, but you just got out of the Medicine Cat den. I don't want you getting hurt again."

Acidpaw turned his head away angrily. "Tch! I could take him!"

"No, Acidpaw," growled Hawktalon, "I want you to let it go, and to follow Silverdiamond and Rainpaw."

"What?!"

"They can't fight like the average Warrior can. They need someone to watch their backs. You're just the cat to do so."

"Don't you dare mock me!" snarled Acidpaw, "Stop treating me like some juvenile brat!"

Hawktalon sighed. "Listen, our Clan would go down without the Medicine Cats. Defending them is an extremely important job, so stop arguing and go help them!"

"Fine!" snapped Acidpaw.

"Thank you, Acidpaw," finished Hawktalon, "I won't forget this."

With that said, Hawktalon turned around and threw himself into battle. Acidpaw tore his attention from the fight and scanned the area for Rainpaw and Silverdiamond.

He quickly located the Medicine Cats. They were gently bringing an unconscious Breezepaw off of the battlefield. Acidpaw sprinted towards them.

"What are you doing, Acidpaw?" asked Silverdiamond, "You should be in battle!"

"I've been ordered to watch over the Medicine Cats," Acidpaw explained quickly, "Don't look at me like that, I'd rather be fighting as well."

Silverdiamond opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off as she was tackled by a CanyonClan Warrior.

"Silverdiamond!" screeched Rainpaw.

Acidpaw fastened his teeth in the attacker's scruff, dragging him off of the Medicine Cat and throwing him down onto the ground.

The CanyonClan cat stared up at Acidpaw in fear.

"Get lost." Acidpaw spat.

The cat scrambled to his paws and fled in terror.

"Thank you, Acidpaw," Silverdiamond muttered. She turned to Rainpaw, "Come, we have to bring Breezepaw back to camp."

"I…" Rainpaw stared down at her paws, "I need to stay here! I have cobwebs with me. I'll treat the wounded on the spot!"

Silverdiamond looked hesitant, but finally she nodded. "I'll bring Breezepaw back to camp myself, then. I'll be back soon."

"Okay."

Silverdiamond hoisted Breezepaw onto her back and started to pad away.

Rainpaw looked at Acidpaw. "Please help me find the injured."

Acidpaw bristled, but he sighed and nodded.

The Medicine Cat Apprentice looked relieved. The two apprentices weaved through the fighting cats, Acidpaw in front, shoving his enemies out of the way.

"I think I see Foxclaw!" yowled Rainpaw, "We need to get to her!"

Acidpaw looked around. He spotted the ginger she-cat sprawled on her side, a CanyonClan she-cat about to deal the final blow.

Rainpaw and Acidpaw pushed their way through the crowd. The black-furred tom leaped at the enemy Warrior, knocking her away from Foxclaw.

"Brat!" hissed the CanyonClan cat.

Acidpaw growled and sunk into a fighting stance. The she-cat attacked, her claws outstretched. Acidpaw rolled left, dodging the blow.

"Who do you think I am?" snarled Acidpaw, "I'm no tiny apprentice!"

"You little foxdung!" yowled the CanyonClan cat, lunging forward again.

Acidpaw also sprang forward, bashing his skull against hers. The she-cat was stunned and didn't move. Acidpaw leaped onto her back and bit into her ear.

The CanyonClan cat howled in pain and started swaying back and forth, trying to get Acidpaw off.

"I'm done!" yowled Rainpaw from behind them.

Foxclaw staggered to her paws, cobwebs binding her wounds closed. "Thank you, Rainpaw. I can keep fighting now."

The Medicine Cat Apprentice nodded. "Please stay safe."

Acidpaw let go of the enemy cat and landed gracefully on his paws.

"I'll take it from here, Acidpaw," Foxclaw meowed. The ginger she-cat hurled herself at the enemy she-cat.

Acidpaw nodded and turned back to Rainpaw.

"I'm running out of cobwebs," muttered Rainpaw, "I must've brought less that I thought."

ForestClan Medicine Cats always wrapped cobwebs around their legs to use while in battle. Now, only a few strands remained.

"Come on," meowed Acidpaw, "We need to get out of the crowd and find more injured cats."

Rainpaw nodded and turned to follow Acidpaw, but he hadn't moved. In front of him stood the CanyonClan deputy.

"We meet again, runt," Coppersky grinned. He glanced at Rainpaw, then back at Acidpaw.

Hawktalon's warning rung in Acidpaw's head, but he chose to ignore it. Without saying a word, Acidpaw launched himself at the brown cat, biting onto his front leg.

Rainpaw watched, her eyes wide with fear.

_Is he crazy?! _she thought wildly, _It's going to be just like before, only Acidpaw might really die this time!_

Acidpaw had Coppersky pinned to the ground.

"Let's see how you like having someone's teeth in **your** windpipe!" whispered Acidpaw dangerously.

But Coppersky just laughed. "You're not a very perceptive cat, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" spat the black-furred apprentice.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream filled the air.

"ACIDPAW! HELP ME!"

For just a second, Acidpaw tore his attention away from Coppersky and looked behind him. He froze. There stood Roaringstar himself, his jaws closed around Rainpaw's neck. He wasn't biting down, but she was trapped and could not possibly escape.

Coppersky kicked Acidpaw in the stomach, sending the ForestClan apprentice sprawling to the ground. The CanyonClan deputy immediately pinned Acidpaw down, his paws on the black cat's neck and stomach.

Roaringstar nodded at Coppersky, and the brown-furred tom raised his head.

"CanyonClan!" he yowled, "We've accomplished our objective! We have no more business here! Let's go!"

Everywhere, CanyonClan cats withdrew from their battles and started towards their border. Coppersky grinned down at Acidpaw.

"You failed again, you little runt," he hissed before releasing Acidpaw and disappearing with the other CanyonClan cats.

Acidpaw felt rage bubble up inside of him. He sprang to his paws.

"Wait!" he howled, "You coward! Get back here and face me like a real Warrior!"

But the CanyonClan Warriors were gone, and ForestClan could only stand and watch.

"Get back here! You coward! You coward!" Acidpaw lowered his head, his teeth clenched and eyes watering, "You coward…"

An eerie stillness set over the battlefield.

"Where's Rainpaw?" Silverdiamond asked, her voice slicing through the silence like a sharpened claw.

Acidpaw lifted his head, his green eyes expressionless. His voice was flat. "He took her. Roaringstar took her."

The Medicine Cat stopped dead. "You're lying."

Acidpaw didn't say a word. Silverdiamond's voice rose to a high pitch.

"Tell me you're lying! Please!"

"I'm not," he spat, "Rainpaw's gone."

"Acidpaw…" muttered Dogpaw, his eyes wide.

Hawktalon padded over to his apprentice and nudged his shoulder. "You did everything you could. It wasn't—"

Something in Acidpaw snapped. He whirled around and faced his mentor.

"It wasn't what?!" he yowled, "Wasn't my fault?! You know that's complete **foxdung**! It's my fault entirely! I let my guard down, and I let Rainpaw get captured!"

"That's not true!" Hawktalon frowned, "You were protecting her and you were attacked! It was in your nature to defend yourself!"

"You're wrong!" snarled Acidpaw, "Coppersky didn't attack me! **I** attacked **him**! I went out of my way to fight, and look what's happened!"

Hawktalon sighed, his ears drooping. "We'll talk later. Come on, let's go back to camp."

Acidpaw bit back a rude retort. He nodded slowly, following Hawktalon back to camp. He wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. Just as he was heading for his den, Pantherstar's voice echoed around camp.

"May all cats, and I mean **everyone**, join me at the Treestump for an extremely important Clan meeting!"

Growling in irritation, Acidpaw spun around and started towards the meeting place. The other ForestClan cats had already gathered. Pantherstar stood on the Treestump.

"You are all aware that Roaringstar is a very dangerous cat," began the ForestClan leader, "However, I have underestimated the situation. We've had two attacks from CanyonClan in the past moon, and I fear that we are not taking enough precautions."

Murmurings ran through the crowd, and everyone nodded.

Pantherstar sighed. "It is my painful duty to inform you that today, during the CanyonClan attack, Rainpaw was kitnapped by Roaringstar."

Gasps and furious yowls emanated from the crowd.

"We should attack their camp!" hissed Falconbeak, "They've already killed Tigerpelt, but now they've captured our Medicine Cat apprentice?! This has gone too far! We should prepare for war!"

Howls of agreement split the air, and for once, Acidpaw was contributing to them.

"Silence!" boomed Pantherstar. Once the cats had calmed down, she continued, "We will not go out of our way to attack them. However, if **any** CanyonClan cat is seen on our territory, I give each and every one of you my full permission to kill them on sight!"

Acidpaw kneaded the icy ground under his paws. They weren't going to attack?! What was Pantherstar thinking?! This was a helpless Medicine Cat Apprentice, not a Warrior who could fend for herself!

"Starting now," Pantherstar went on, "There will be two new rules: Warriors leaving camp **must** be in groups of three or more, and apprentices are strictly forbidden to leave camp."

The black-furred apprentice snarled under his breath.

As soon as the meeting was over, Acidpaw headed right for the Apprentice Den, not bothering to have his scratches checked by the Medicine Cat. The black-furred tom lay down in his nest in the corner, fuming silently.

How could he have even **contemplated** joining those CanyonClan monsters?! They were vicious, filthy kitnappers with no sense of honor! How could he have lowered his guard like that?! How could he let Rainpaw get captured so easily?!

Acidpaw would normally try to avoid trouble, StarClan, he had enough as it was! But Acidpaw once again had to disobey Pantherstar.

He was going to save Rainpaw, and he was going to save her **now.**

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**A/N:** Dun dun duuuuun! Angry Acidpaw is angry.


	5. TagTeam: Rescuing Rainpaw Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.

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**WolfSummoner93:** Oh yes. An angry Acidpaw is an Acidpaw one would absolutely not want to be around. Thank you for reviewing!

**Lightkit:** Yeah, it's definitely just my messed-up head. I've stopped capitalizing them. Thanks for letting me know! Thanks for the review!

**Moonstar of FireClan:** Thanks for the massive review! :D I think the reason that Pantherstar didn't send anyone to save Rainpaw is because she doesn't want any more casualties. A few chapters back, Tigerpelt, who was a senior warrior, got wiped out like it was nothing, so she doesn't want to take any more chances. But still, shame on her indeed. It's okay, we've got ACIDPAW! Yeah, I will make a giant family tree to avoid confusing-ness XD I know, it's very confusing.

**EdwardCullenNowAndForever:** Haven't seen you around here before… Hi! Thanks for reviewing! :3 Awww, thanks! -hug-

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**A/N:** Just a quick comment, I very rarely use all-caps when someone is yelling or screaming, but when I do, it's supposed to be really, really, _really_ loud. Okay? Okay.

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_**ForestClan: War of the Clans**_

**Chapter Five**

Tag-Team: Rescuing Rainpaw

Part One: Joining CanyonClan

Acidpaw rose to his feet, gazing around the apprentice den to make sure the others were asleep before padding to the entrance. Night had fallen many hours ago, and dawn was approaching. The night patrol was probably back already, and there was still time before the dawn patrol left.

The black-furred tom glanced around camp, and, seeing no one, he stepped into the forest. He would sneak out of ForestClan territory, into CanyonClan territory, grab Rainpaw, and be back before anyone knew he was missing.

Acidpaw had been walking for a while now. He was getting closer to the canyons.

"Acidpaw?"

The black-furred tom jumped and spun around, his fur standing on end. He relaxed a little when he saw who it was.

"What are you doing here, Winterflame?" he asked.

"You're going to save Rainpaw, right?"

Acidpaw's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

"I…" Winterflame shuffled his paws nervously, "I was eavesdropping. Please don't tell Pantherstar!"

Acidpaw snorted. "Like I care. Don't worry about it. I won't say a word."

The black-furred tom turned around and started towards the canyon.

"W-wait, Acidpaw!" called Winterflame, "I want to come with you!"

"Why? What does Rainpaw mean to you? You hardly know her."

"I-I…"

Acidpaw faced him again.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Kn-know what?"

"Something about the prophecy. Someone told you."

Winterflame was silent for a moment, then he chuckled.

"There's really no hiding anything from you, is there?"

Acidpaw didn't reply. He wanted to ask the white-furred tom who told him about the prophecy, and why Rainpaw mattered so much to him, but he knew he wasn't going to get any answers.

"Let's go," meowed Winterflame, "The faster we get her out of there, the better."

They continued towards the CanyonClan border. The land under their paws was beginning to form a downward slope.

"We're almost there," muttered Acidpaw.

Winterflame stopped. "Wait, Mistytail once told me that CanyonClan migrates to the desert every leaf-bare."

"Foxdung!" cursed Acidpaw, "I forgot about that."

"We should sleep in the canyons. It'll be cold, but at least we'll have shelter," meowed Winterflame, "We'll rest, and we'll have a fresh start tomorrow night."

Acidpaw nodded, realizing how tired he was.

"Hey! What are you two doing here?!"

Acidpaw and Winterflame whirled around at the sound of the voice. In front of them stood Falconbeak, Snakefang, and Sharktooth.

_Foxdung!_ _What are they doing out at this hour?!_ thought Acidpaw, _Pantherstar must've doubled the patrols…_

"You know perfectly well that apprentices are forbidden to leave camp! I asked what you were doing here!" hissed Falconbeak, "Well? Answer!"

A low growl came from Winterflame's throat. Acidpaw glanced at him in shock. What was he doing, showing his fangs at the deputy of the Clan he was indebted to?!

"Acidpaw and I were just leaving, actually," spat the white tom.

"What?! That's ridiculous!" snarled the deputy.

Winterflame leaned closer to Acidpaw's ear.

"Follow my lead," he whispered. The white-furred tom took a step towards the patrol, "We're sick of the way we're treated in this dump."

"Excuse me?" Snakefang blinked, surprised that such a polite cat could be so harsh.

"You heard me!" hissed Winterflame, "I catch half of this Clan's prey, and all I get are leftovers! Is that any way to treat someone who's helping you?! Roaringstar is a real leader! I'd rather follow him than you mangy lumps of fur!"

Acidpaw's eyes widened. He understood what Winterflame was trying to do. He stepped forward as well.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been an apprentice?!" he snarled, "Too long. Far too long. This clan is nothing but crowfood, with a mousebrained leader and a useless deputy. I'm sure I can find a better place in CanyonClan."

"You're betraying us?" asked Sharktooth.

"You think I'm kidding?" growled Acidpaw, "I hate each and every one of you ForestClan cowards more than you could ever imagine. For so long I've wanted to get away from this place. And the time has finally come."

"I can't allow that," meowed Falconbeak.

The deputy lunged at Acidpaw. Winterflame stepped in front of him and tackled Falconbeak, his teeth set in the deputy's ear.

Snakefang and Sharktooth circled around Acidpaw. Snakefang had a dismayed look on his face.

"I don't understand why you're doing this," he meowed, "We… we're your family! You were born here, don't you feel like you have an attachment to this place?"

"Never," spat Acidpaw.

"What about Redkit and Lionkit?" growled Sharktooth, "I suppose you hate them too?"

Acidpaw hesitated. "I hardly know them. What do I care?"

"You're a monster…" whispered Snakefang.

"It's better than being a coward!" Acidpaw leaped at his brother, knocking him to the ground.

Snakefang tried to slash at Acidpaw's eyes, but the black-furred tom bit his paw, sinking his teeth into his pawpad. The tabby tom screeched in pain, but Acidpaw only bit harder.

_Snakefang won't be like Coppersky,_ thought Acidpaw_, He probably won't be able to walk after this, not for a few days, at least._

Acidpaw released his grip on Snakefang and sprung backwards. Sharktooth stared at him in shock.

"Acidpaw…" he stammered, "What did…? Why?! He's your brother!"

The black-furred tom lowered into a fighting crouch. "I don't feel any kinship whatsoever to likes of you."

Sharktooth lunged at him, claws out. Acidpaw dodged to the right and scratched his brother's shoulder. The gray-and-white tom aimed a blow at Acidpaw's head, but he ducked and rolled to the side, grabbing Sharktooth's back leg in his teeth. Acidpaw felt his brother's paws come crashing down onto his side, but he didn't let go of his leg.

Acidpaw snarled. _Which will be the first one to crack? My rib cage or his leg?_

The pressure in Acidpaw's side was getting more and more painful. The black-furred cat clamped his jaws together tighter. Suddenly, Sharktooth released him.

Acidpaw jumped to his feet and stepped backwards. Sharktooth lay on the ground, his back leg bloody and swollen. He glared up at Acidpaw.

"Why would you do this?!" he yowled.

Acidpaw pressed his paw down on Sharktooth's head, driving half of his face into the snow. He stared into Sharktooth's eyes and hissed in a low whisper:

"ForestClan means **nothing** to me."

"Are you ready to go, Acidpaw?" came Winterflame's voice.

Acidpaw turned to look at him. The white-furred tom had Falconbeak pinned down. Acidpaw nodded. They had to leave now, before other ForestClan cats came.

"We'll spare you this time," growled Winterflame, "Never forget that we let you live."

The two traitors released their opponents and dashed across the CanyonClan border. Once they were far from the patrol, they slowed down.

"Nice job back there," meowed Winterflame, "You're a pretty good actor."

Acidpaw stopped for a moment. He didn't turn around. "Believe me. For the most part, I wasn't acting."

_ForestClan camp…_

Redkit growled and opened her eyes. Who in the name of StarClan was making all that racket?! She glanced at Lionkit and rolled her eyes. Of course, Lionkit could sleep through all this commotion. She rose to her paws and poked her head outside of the nursery.

Redkit frowned. The brand new late-night patrol was back early. Sharktooth and Snakefang were both limping painfully, and Falconbeak looked absolutely humiliated: his ears and tail were twitching in irritation, and there was an embarrassed look on his face.

The ginger she-kit smirked. _This is Acidpaw's doing. No doubt about it._

"What's going on?!" gasped Pantherstar, emerging from her den. Other cats were coming out as well.

"Acidpaw and Winterflame…" hissed Falconbeak, "Those little traitors."

"What happened?" asked Hawktalon.

"We saw then while we were on patrol," explained Snakefang, "I never really thought that they would attack us!"

"They said that this clan meant nothing to them!" added Sharktooth, "They've betrayed us, after all we've done for then! They've gone to join CanyonClan, those little foxdungs!"

Redkit rolled her eyes again.

"Really, the stupidity of these cats…" she muttered under her breath.

Lionkit, Soulkit, and Lightningkit joined her.

"You know the real reason that Acidpaw left, don't you?" meowed Lionkit.

"Of course."

Lightningkit and Soulkit gave them puzzled stares, which they didn't seem to notice.

"You should tell them," suggested Lionkit, "Before they get any ideas."

Redkit growled. "I'd rather not, but since it's for Acidpaw…"

The tiny tabby she-kit squirmed through the crowd, until she reached the center.

"I have something to say," she mewed.

No one was paying attention.

"Uh… hello? I want to say something."

The crowd was getting rowdy and the kit was being shoved around.

"Hey! I want to say something!"

"Hush, Redkit, not now!" growled Hollythorn in irritation.

"But it's about—"

"I say we go after them, give them a beating they'll never forget!" screeched one cat, interrupting Redkit.

"Yeah! We storm the desert and bring them back here!"

"That's right!"

"They're unforgiveable!"

Redkit could feel her temper quickly rising. She gritted her teeth and dug her claws into the snow.

Lionkit winced and looked to Soulkit and Lightningkit. "She's gonna blow."

Lightningkit whimpered, and the three of them crouched down and covered their ears with their paws.

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!"

The camp went silent. Everyone stared at the little ginger she-kit who was twitching in irritation.

"Redkit, watch your language!" scolded Feathersoul.

Redkit ignored her and addressed the Clan again.

"I have something to say," she mewed, then added sarcastically, "Is that alright with everyone, or am I going to have to yell some more?"

From where he was sitting, Lionkit rolled his eyes. No wonder she got into so much trouble, with that sharp tongue of hers.

"That's enough, Redkit," meowed Feathersoul sternly. She looked over to Pantherstar, "I'm so sorry about that, I'll make sure she watches her mouth from now on."

Pantherstar laughed. "No need to worry. It's alright. Kits that age are all like that."

_I __**beg**__ to differ_, thought Lionkit.

"Come along now, Redkit," Feathersoul picked the kit up by the scruff. She started struggling.

"No! I need to say something! It's important! Put me down!"

"Wait."

Everyone turned to the direction the new voice came from. It was Hawktalon.

"I'd like to hear what Redkit has to say," he meowed. He glanced at the leader, "If that's okay with you."

Pantherstar nodded, and Redkit blinked in thanks as Feathersoul put her down.

"Well, little one, what is it that you wanted to say?" asked the leader.

_Shut up. I'm not little, _thought Redkit. She sat up straight and cleared her throat.

"I know that Acidpaw hates—um, I mean, doesn't really know you all very well, but I know him. Believe me when I say that he wouldn't betray this Clan at this time, and certainly not to CanyonClan," Redkit paused, "I'm positive that he and Winterflame went to save Rainpaw."

"That can't be," meowed Sharktooth, "The look of hatred on his face when he told me that ForestClan meant nothing to him was real."

"No kidding, smart ones," muttered Redkit sarcastically. Luckily, no one heard her.

"I asked if him if you and Lionkit were important to him," the gray-and-white tom went on, "And he said no."

"Ever heard of being stealthy? Having a plan? A cover story?" asked Redkit. _Or a brain, for that matter?_

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Redkit glanced up at Pantherstar, "That's all. Thank you for letting me speak, mother."

Pantherstar smiled at her. "Of course. Any time, sweetheart."

Redkit padded back into the nursery, Lionkit by her side.

"StarClan, that went **perfectly**, didn't it?" he mewed, "I'm sure that they understand **exactly** what you meant, seeing as you explained it **so** well."

The ginger she-kit chuckled and nudged him playfully, "Since when did you start using sarcasm, dear brother?"

He shrugged, "I guess you've rubbed off on me." Lionkit took a more serious tone, "But really, Redkit. What are we going to do? They still think that Acidpaw's betrayed ForestClan."

Redkit stopped and looked around, making sure that Feathersoul and the other kits were just out of earshot. She turned to her brother.

"You'll see. By tomorrow, he'll be back," she promised, "He'll be back, and he'll have Rainpaw with him. He'll earn our Clan's respect. He'll be given the warrior name that he deserves."

Lionkit nodded, but he wasn't convinced. _Will Pantherstar ever give Acidpaw his warrior name?_

_Canyon…_

"There it is," meowed Acidpaw, "That's the entrance. Right here."

Winterflame let out a sigh of relief. "Thank StarClan! I'm exhausted!"

The two cats walked under the stone archway of the CanyonClan entrance. They turned a corner into camp.

"Well, well, this is unexpected," drawled Roaringstar.

Winterflame and Acidpaw stopped dead. In front of them was the entire population of CanyonClan.

"But… what… how… shouldn't you be… desert?" babbled the white-furred tom. His eyes were wide, his fur standing on end.

Acidpaw unsheathed his claws and gulped. What in the name of StarClan was CanyonClan doing back here in mid leaf-bare?! They were supposed to have gone south, into the desert!

Roaringstar leaped down from a low ledge, landing in front of the two younger cats. His icy blue eyes glinted.

"And what's the occasion for this visit, Acidpaw of ForestClan?"

There was a stunned silence in which Acidpaw and Winterflame didn't say anything.

"Well?"

Winterflame snapped out of his little trance. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, before assuming the submissive pose that he learned from his time with Rebekka. He knelt down, his ears flat against his skull, his tail lowered, and his eyes on the ground.

"Honorable Roaringstar," he started, "My companion and I have grown weary of the ways of ForestClan."

Winterflame nudged Acidpaw, who blinked and imitated the white-furred tom.

"Oh?" Roaringstar was interested, "And why is that?"

Winterflame was about to speak, but Acidpaw beat him to it.

"You see," he meowed, "The two of us have been apprentices for nearly four and a half seasons, yet Pantherstar shows us no indication of giving us our warrior names."

"Four seasons, you say?" asked Roaringstar, "Yes, that is quite a long time to be an apprentice for."

"We don't understand why this is," added Winterflame, "I am a very good hunter, and Acidpaw is perhaps one of the most skilled fighters in the whole Clan."

"Is that so?"

"Please, Roaringstar," meowed Winterflame, "Let us prove to you that we can benefit you. Please don't send us back to those useless ForestClan foxdungs."

Roaringstar grinned. "Of course. But can you promise me that you can kill the ForestClan cats that you were raised with if I asked you to?"

"Yes, sir," both Acidpaw and Winterflame meowed.

The ginger tom's grin grew even wider. "Very well. Welcome to CanyonClan, Acidpaw and…?"

Winterflame hesitated. "Icepaw. My name is Icepaw."

"Icepaw. Welcome. Please make yourselves at home."

Roaringstar leaped up onto the ledge again.

"May all cats old enough to scale the canyon gather here for an important Clan meeting!" he yowled.

In the blink of an eye, every cat in the Clan stood underneath the ledge.

"As you can see, we have two new faces here," he meowed.

"What are two ForestClan fleabags doing here?!" yowled a warrior.

"Be quiet, Tornleaf," growled Roaringstar. He cleared his throat, "These two have been unfairly treated in their former home in ForestClan, and have decided to join the forces of CanyonClan. Please welcome Acidpaw and Icepaw."

"What? These two are still apprentices?" asked Stormstreak, a senior warrior.

"As I said, ForestClan has treated these two like dirt," meowed Roaringstar, "They have been neglected and ignored by Pantherstar time and time again, and have not yet received their warrior names."

"How do we know if they will stay loyal?" asked Coppersky, the deputy.

"That is a question I expected," replied Roaringstar, "Of course, seeing as we've had so many fights with ForestClan already, who knows if these two will remain on our side. I have decided that I will give them two tasks to prove their loyalty. If they pass these tasks, I will give them the warrior names that they deserve."

"And what are these tasks?" asked another warrior, a yellow tom. He looked almost frightened.

Roaringstar looked around the camp. "Everyone except for the Council, you are dismissed."

Acidpaw frowned. _The what?_

Instantly, all the queens and apprentices disappeared, as well as some of the younger warriors. Now only a small circle of senior warriors remained: Coppersky, Stormstreak, the yellow tom from before, and a black tom with one gray leg.

Roaringstar focused his icy blue gaze on Winterflame and Acidpaw. He leaped down from the ledge and approached, lowering his voice. "The first task shall be to steal two kits and bring them here. One from ForestClan, and one from PrairieClan."

Acidpaw and Winterflame exchanged glances.

"Fair enough," meowed Acidpaw, "I'll go to PrairieClan, and Icepaw will go to ForestClan."

"What if Icepaw blabs to ForestClan?" asked another warrior, the black-furred tom with the gray leg.

"You'll just have to go with him, won't you, Smokeleg?" replied Roaringstar, "That being said, who will accompany Acidpaw?"

"I will."

Acidpaw glanced at the cat who had spoken. It was the yellow tom who looked absolutely terrified.

"Very well then, Solarfur. You shall go with Acidpaw tonight," the leader looked out into the crowd, "There isn't much to teach Acidpaw and Icepaw about hunting or fighting. They're both very good at it already. However, they most likely do not know how to climb the canyon. Someone fetch Cherrypaw and Dappledpaw. They're our oldest apprentices, and they are the best at climbing. I'd like those two to teach them."

"I'll go, sir," meowed Stormstreak.

"This meeting is over, then. You're all dismissed," Roaringbreeze padded closer Acidpaw and Winterflame, "I promise you, as soon as you have completed the two tasks I have for you, I will give you your warrior names."

Acidpaw and Winterflame bowed their heads.

"We're eternally grateful," meowed the white-furred tom.

"Thank you so much," added Acidpaw. _I think I'd rather die than be named by you, you mangy pile of foxdung._

"The other apprentices are waiting. Run along, now."

They nodded. The leader made sure that the two of them joined with the two she-cat apprentices before turning and heading towards a heavily guarded den.

_With Dappledpaw, Acidpaw, Winterflame, and Cherrypaw…_

"Hi! I'm Dappledpaw!" meowed one of the apprentices. Her silvery-blue fur was covered in black markings, and her yellow eyes gleamed brightly, "It's nice to meet you!"

"I-I'm Cherrypaw…" stuttered the other, a small ginger she-cat. She had pale blue eyes and had a posture that reminded Acidpaw of Quietpaw, "W-welcome to C-CanyonClan."

She muttered something else, but no one could hear it.

"Could you repeat that?" asked Winterflame. His tone was gentle, but Cherrypaw jumped and hid behind Dappledpaw.

"Don't mind her," Dappledpaw told them, "She's really shy around strangers. She's not always like this. It's normally just at Gatherings."

Dappledpaw turned to her friend, speaking softly.

"Come on Cherrypaw, nothing to be afraid of. Why don't you show them to climb the canyon? Go onto the Beginner's Ledge, and we'll work our way up from there. I'll direct them from the ground."

Cherrypaw nodded quickly and bounded up onto a small ledge. Once she was up, she sat down and resumed staring at her paws.

"You have to be really careful when you're climbing up the canyon. One small wrong move, and you could easily lose your life," explained the dappled she-at, "Climb up there are join her. Like I said, this is an easy one. Go ahead, Icepaw."

Winterflame gulped. "Easy for who, though? Think of trees, think of trees…" he muttered to himself.

In a few moments, Winterflame had also made it to the ledge.

"Not too bad," meowed Dappledpaw. She glanced at Acidpaw, "Okay, it's your turn, now."

Acidpaw tentatively placed his paw on a small rock jutting out from the surface of the canyon. He looked up, searching for similar ones. When he was ready, he climbed to the next one. In no time, he was standing next to Winterflame and Cherrypaw. The ginger she-cat looked so nervous she might explode.

"Next one, now," meowed Dappledpaw, "Go on, Cherrypaw!"

In seconds, she had made it to another ledge three foxlengths higher.

Acidpaw copied her movements. He took much longer than Cherrypaw had, but he got up as well.

"Wow, you're a natural at this!" meowed Dappledpaw. She looked genuinely impressed.

_It must be in my blood. Roaringstar is my grandfather, after all…_ thought Acidpaw, "Thank you."

"Okay, Icepaw, go on up!"

Winterflame stumbled a few times as he went up, but he reached the next ledge as well.

"Listen carefully!" Dappledpaw was shouting up at them now, "Going down is a lot harder than going up! Explain it to them, Cherrypaw!"

"I-it's going to be t-tempting to go down t-tail-first, b-but you can't," Cherrypaw muttered, nearly inaudible, "I-if you go down tail-first, y-you're not g-going to be able to see wh-where you're putting y-your paws."

"And you will fall and you will die!" finished Dappledpaw, somehow able to hear Cherrypaw's mumbling, "And you don't want that, do you?"

Cherrypaw went down first, going back exactly the way she came. Her movements were very quick, and soon enough, she was at the Beginner's Ledge again. Acidpaw followed, looking carefully at where he was putting his paws. It seemed almost instinctive, no doubt thanks to his CanyonClan blood.

Now it was Winterflame's turn. He looked petrified. Shakily, he placed a paw on what looked like a firm rock, but as soon as he put more weight on it, it crumbled and fell to the ground. Winterflame pulled his paw back.

"Just look for another one!" yowled Dappledpaw, "Come on, Icepaw, you can do it!"

"I-I-I can't." Now it was Winterflame who was stuttering.

"It's fine! Even if you fall, you're not high up enough to seriously injure yourself!"

"I can't!" repeated Winterflame, "I'm terrified of heights!"

"There isn't a single CanyonClan cat who can't do this," reasoned Dappledpaw, "Come on, try again!"

"No!"

Sighing, Dappledpaw turned to Cherrypaw. "Go back up and show him step by step. We can't have a CanyonClan cat that can't climb."

Cherrypaw nodded. She climbed back onto the higher ledge with Winterflame.

Dappledpaw looked at Acidpaw. "Let's leave them. There are some other places that you can practice on, since you're quite a bit better than I expected."

Acidpaw frowned. "Are you sure you should leave her by herself? She looked like her head might pop, she was so nervous."

The silver-and-black she-cat laughed. "Don't worry about it. She needs more friends, anyways."

Dappledpaw led the way to another rocky surface of the Canyon.

"Here, we'll try Intermediate Rock…"

_In a hidden cleft…_

"So, my little guest," meowed the ginger tom in is usual drawling voice, "I'm sure you heard all the commotion."

Rainpaw looked up at Roaringstar. She was curled up in the furthest corner of her prison as possible. She swallowed back her tears and nodded.

"Too bad. It looked like you really cared about young Acidpaw," continued the leader. He paused, "Isn't that against the warrior code? Ah well. It's a pity he doesn't care about you."

_Shut up!_ Rainpaw looked away, squeezing her eyes shut, _Shut up! Leave me alone!_

Rainpaw couldn't believe that Acidpaw would do this. Maybe… maybe he had finally reached his limit after all. She remembered that deal she made with Acidpaw way back at her first Gathering, moons ago. She had gone over her six moon promise, that was for sure, but… she couldn't believe he actually did it. He actually betrayed ForestClan.

Roaringstar laughed. "Not to worry, little Rainpaw. Very soon you'll see a change of scenery."

He turned away and began padding out of the hidden cleft. The leader nodded at Stormstreak and Coppersky, informing them to continue keeping watch over their prisoner.

_It'll be the last scenery you'll ever see._

_Beginner's Cleft…_

It had taken a long time, but Winterflame finally mastered the art of climbing in both directions. As Cherrypaw guided him through the steps, she stuttered less and less in her explanations.

"I think you've gr-grasped the basics," she meowed.

Winterflame chuckled. "Finally."

Cherrypaw glanced at the sky. "The sun is setting. We should go b-back to the apprentice den."

The little ginger she-cat led him to a wide opening in the canyon. Acidpaw and Dappledpaw were there as well.

"Hey, welcome back, Icepaw!" meowed Dappledpaw cheerfully, "I thought you were going to be stuck up there for all eternity!"

"Ha ha. Very funny," growled Winterflame.

She nudged him. "Oh come on, don't be such a stick in the mud!" she turned towards the three other apprentices, "These are Summerpaw, Dreampaw, and Rosepaw."

"Nice to meet you!" meowed Dreampaw, a silvery blue tom, "I'm glad you're here! I was the only tom up until now!"

The other two just nodded.

"I've been wondering… why is it that you're all in the canyon right now?" asked Winterflame, "I thought you went into the desert for leaf-bare."

"Normally, we do," replied a flame-colored she-cat, Rosepaw, "But Roaringstar took a patrol out when we got there, and he told us that there were a lot of coyotes this year, and it'd be safer back in the canyon. So we came back."

"It's a good thing we did, too," added a tortoishell she-cat, Summerpaw, "With all the ForestClan attacks we've been getting."

"Attacks?" meowed Acidpaw. _What is she babbling about? Every time, it's been CanyonClan who's attacked ForestClan, not the other way around!_

"Yeah," Dappledpaw sighed, "Ever since that horrible ForestClan apprentice killed Blueclaw during the time that she was here for the greencough incident, we've been getting attacked nonstop. I suppose it was Pantherstar who forced you all into attacking us."

"It was," meowed Winterflame quickly, "She's a terrible leader. She doesn't even nurse her own kits."

The CanyonClan apprentices shook their heads in dismay.

"Wait," Acidpaw stopped them, "A she-cat killed Blueclaw?"

Summerpaw nodded. "Yeah. Don't you know? She was part of your Clan, too. White she-cat, some grey markings. Calls herself a medicine cat, but really, she's a brute."

Acidpaw and Winterflame exchanged alarmed glances.

_Rainpaw?! It wasn't Rainpaw!_ thought Acidpaw, _It was me! Who told them it was Rainpaw?!_

"Blueclaw was a good friend," meowed Dappledpaw, "She killed him when he was sick."

"The only time when we attacked ForestClan was to take her as a hostage," explained Dreampaw, "We don't like it either, but Roaringstar said it was the only way to stop the ForestClan cats from attacking."

"Why are you telling us all this?" asked Acidpaw, "Shouldn't this be confidential information?"

All of the CanyonClan apprentices looked at him, silent. It was Cherrypaw that spoke.

"We… we feel that you n-needed to know the truth about F-ForestClan. So that you understand what they really are, a-and that you won't be tempted to g-go back."

"We would never leave this place," promised Winterflame, "Not with what all you've told us."

"I have one last question," meowed Acidpaw, "What's the Council?"

Dappledpaw blinked. "Oh? The Council? It's just Roaringstar's special name for the senior warriors. He discusses battle plans with them, and warrior names and stuff. It's not important."

"I see," replied Acidpaw calmly. He turned to Winterflame, "Icepaw and I better get going. We have those secret tasks to accomplish. Come on."

The two of them left the apprentice den.

"What was **that**?!" whispered Winterflame, making sure he was out of earshot, "They're so snooty, saying that it's all ForestClan's fault when really, it's theirs!"

"No," meowed Acidpaw, "It isn't."

"Are you saying you believe them?!"

Acidpaw looked into Winterflame's eyes. "Don't you get it? It's Roaringstar and that "Council" of his! It's **their** fault! They've been feeding the rest of this Clan false information!"

* * *

**A/N:** Hi guys! I hoped you liked that chapter. I find that it didn't come out as well as the rest of them, but I think it's alright.

In other news, I'm leaving for six weeks, and I won't have computer access at all. Sad, huh? I'll try to work on the next chapter while I'm away (traditional paper and pencil, yay), so maybe, just maybe, I'll update the day I get back.

Because I'm going to be gone for such a long time, here, a preview of the next chapter.

* * *

_**Preview:**_

**Chapter Six:**

Tag-Team: Rescuing Rainpaw

Part Two: The Tasks

Acidpaw padded across the CanyonClan border, Council Member Solarfur at his heels. They traveled in silence for a few moments, until the yellow tom finally spoke up.

"Wait, Acidpaw."

Acidpaw turned around. "What?"

Solarfur looked around nervously, making sure that no one was nearby. He leaned close to Acidpaw.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into!" he hissed quietly.

"What are talking about?"

The Council Member looked around again. "Go home. I know ForestClan isn't guilty of all the things the apprentices have been telling you. You need to run, now, before Roaringstar controls you completely," Solarfur looked down at his paws, "Like me."

"I don't understand."

Solarfur looked desperate now. "I… I don't want to be in CanyonClan, I don't want to be on the Council, but I have no choice. There's no one to protect me if I try to defy Roaringstar. There's no one I can run to or confide in. He's taken all of my family away, and threatened me to do as he says or it will cost me my life."

"Family…?" Everything was becoming clearer and clearer in Acidpaw's mind.

"I loved my sister and my nephew very dearly," Solarfur's voice was quivering, "But Roaringstar took them away from me. You must know them. Silentstar and Jaggedpaw."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed the preview, see you all in six weeks!

Also, the allegiances have changed a lot since I last posted them. I think it would be helpful to have them, you know? So here they are.

* * *

_**Allegiances**_

**ForestClan**

**Leader:**

Pantherstar—Yellow-cream she-cat with green eyes. Apprentice: Stripepaw.

**Deputy:**

Falconbeak—Brown tom with ginger flecks. Apprentice: Wolfpaw

**Medicine Cat:**

Silverdiamond—Silver-and-black she-cat with orange eyes. Mother of the three red sons. Apprentice: Rainpaw

**Warriors:**

Hawktalon—Brown tom with sharp claws and a ginger tail. Apprentice: Acidpaw and Dogpaw

Foxclaw—Ginger she-cat with white on the tip of her tail. Tigerpelt's mate. Apprentice: Indigopaw

Sharktooth—Silvery grey tom with black eyes and a white belly. Apprentice: Oceanpaw

Snakefang—Slim grey tabby whose canine teeth stick out onto his lower lip. Apprentice: Breezepaw

Lavaflame—Flame she-cat. Mistypaw, Oceanpaw, and Breezepaw's mother. Lionclaw's mate. Apprentice: Spotpaw.

Hollythorn—Dark brown tabby. Falconbeak's mate. Apprentice: Lynxpaw and Quietpaw

**Queens:**

Feathersoul—Pale brown tabby she-cat with very soft fur and green eyes. Lightningkit and Soulkit's mother. Hawktalon's mate. Currently nursing Redkit and Lionkit.

**Kits:**

Lightningkit—Tabby tom with yellow eyes.

Soulkit—Peculiar pure white she-cat with odd silver eyes.

Redkit—Ginger she-cat with ice blue eyes. Mirror image of her father. Quite smart for her age.

Lionkit—Cream-colored tom with green eyes. Mirror image of Lionclaw. Loves to sleep.

**Apprentices:**

Acidpaw—Pitch-black tom with acid green eyes.

Spotpaw—Silver she cat with black spots.

Stripepaw—Gray tabby tom. Spotpaw's brother.

Wolfpaw—Silver she-cat.

Lynxpaw—Tortoishell she-cat.

Rainpaw—White she-cat with grey markings. Found by Silverdiamond in the rain near the river.

Oceanpaw—Sand-colored she-cat with blue-green eyes.

Breezepaw—Pale grey tom with gentle grey eyes.

Indigopaw—Energetic dark grey tabby tom with indigo eyes. Idolizes Acidpaw.

Dogpaw—Long-furred ginger-and-white tom. Formerly a kittypet.

Quietpaw—Mute tabby she-cat. She was driven out of MountainClan for being the "Carrier of the Curses".

**Elders:**

Blindnose—Ginger tom. Oldest cat in ForestClan. He lost his sense of smell with age.

Goosefang—Ill-tempered white she-cat with a yellowish muzzle.

Duckfoot—White tom with slightly webbed toes. Goosefang's brother, as well as Pantherstar and Lionclaw's father.

Stormkit—Quiet tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Retired extremely early because of blindness.

**CanyonClan**

**Leader:**

Roaringstar—Ambitious ginger tom with blazing ice blue eyes. Father of the three red sons: Scarletleaf, Redstar, and Blazingstar.

**Deputy:**

Coppersky—Golden brown tom with blue eyes. Apprentice: Summerpaw

**Medicine Cat:**

none

**Warriors:**

Tornleaf—Rust-colored tom who is missing a chunk of his ear. Apprentice: Cherrypaw

Stormstreak—Gray tom. Apprentice: Dreampaw

Solarfur—Yellow tom. Apprentice: Dappledpaw

Smokeleg—All-black tom with one grey leg. Apprentice: Rosepaw

Morningwind—Silver she-cat. Dreampaw, Rosepaw, and Summerpaw's mother. Tornleaf's mate.

**Queens**

Twistedcloud—White she-cat with a curled tail. Ivorykit and Whitekit's mother. Smokeleg's mate.

Goldenstream—Golden she-cat with blue eyes. Roaringstar's mate.

**Kits:**

Ivorykit—Off-white she-cat.

Whitekit—Smoke-colored she-cat with one white paw.

**Apprentices:**

Dappledpaw—Silvery-blue she-cat with black markings and yellow eyes.

Cherrypaw—Ginger she-cat.

Dreampaw—Silvery blue tom.

Rosepaw—Flame-colored she-cat.

Summerpaw—Tortoishell she-cat

**Elders**

Owlear—Brown tom. Both ears were torn off in a battle as an apprentice.

**PrairieClan**

**Leader:**

Blazingstar—Ginger tom with black ears and ice blue eyes.

**Deputy:**

Orangeear—Ginger tom with a slightly paler ear. Apprentice: Seapaw.

**Medicine Cat:**

Whitelily—All-white she cat with some grey markings. Apprentice: Oatpaw.

**Warriors:**

Honeystripe—Dark brown tom with one stripe of gold.

Gingerfeather—Long-furred ginger tom.

Blackfire—Black tom with orange eyes. Apprentice: Berrypaw

Arctichawk—White long-furred tom with yellow eyes.

**Queens:**

Goldentail—Tortoishell she-cat with a golden tail. Goldwhisker's sister. Blackfire's mate. Violetkit and Tigerkit's mother. Also nursing Smallkit and Sleekkit.

Mapletail—White she-cat with a brown tail. Oatpaw and Berrypaw's mother. Honeystripe's mate. Also nursing Spottedkit, Rowankit, and Nightkit.

**Kits:**

Violetkit—Black she-cat with violet eyes.

Tigerkit—Ginger tabby with amber eyes.

Spottedkit—White she-cat with black spots.

Rowankit—Ginger she-cat with huge blue eyes.

Smallkit—Long-furred black she-cat with chocolate brown eyes.

Sleekkit—Silver she-cat with one stripe of black. A spitting image of her mother.

Nightkit—Black she-cat that takes on a blue tinge in the sun.

**Apprentices:**

Seapaw—Silvery-blue tom with a sand colored ear.

Oatpaw—Pale yellow tom.

Berrypaw—Brown tom with dark blue eyes.

**Elders:**

Reedheart—Pale brown she-cat. Joined the elders because she had her eyes clawed out by a falcon.

Copperfeather—Golden brown tom with long fur.

Spiderear—Off-white tom with one black ear.

Goldwhisker—Golden tom with golden whiskers. Retired because he can no longer use his leg properly.

**MountainClan**

**Leader**

Silverstar—Black tom with silver around his eyes. Very nervous and jittery.

**Deputy:**

Hawkheart—Long-furred brown tom. Basilbrook and Opalcloud's son. It is obvious that he weaseled his way into being deputy. Apprentice: Clawpaw

**Medicine Cat:**

Scarletleaf—Ginger tom with green-blue eyes. Apprentice: Mangledpaw

**Warriors:**

Basilbrook—Dust colored tom with dark green eyes. Apprentice: Ivypaw

Topazpelt—Dark yellow tom. Apprentice: Talonpaw

Blackspot—All-white tom with one black spot. Apprentice: Hazelpaw

Owltail—Brown tom with white flecks. He has an extremely bushy tail. Apprentice: Hollypaw

Littlebreeze—Small gray tom. Apprentice: Mosspaw

Sandbelly—White she-cat with a sand-colored belly. Hollypaw and Ivypaw's mother. Topazpelt's mate.

Marblewhisker—Tortoiseshell she-cat with black and white whiskers. Owltail's mate.

**Queens:**

Cloudface—Black she-cat with a white face. Flameshadow's mate.

Opalcloud—White she-cat with green-blue eyes. Basilbrook's mate.

**Kits:**

Shadowkit—Black tom with ginger patches. Looks exactly like his father (Flameshadow)

**Apprentices:**

Mangledpaw—Long-furred white tom with blue eyes. Littermate of Hazelpaw, Hawkpaw, and Mosspaw.

Hazelpaw—Dark brown she-cat with hazel eyes. Basilbrook and Opalcloud's daughter.

Mosspaw—Long-furred tabby she-cat. Basilbrook and Opalcloud's daughter.

Ivypaw—Long-tailed yellow she-cat.

Hollypaw—Yellow tom with a ginger belly.

Talonpaw—Tortoishell tom with yellow paws.

Clawpaw—Brown tom with long fangs.

**Elders:**

Roughbreeze—Battered old tabby tom.

Wetfeather—Tabby tom. His name was chosen because he often acts like a bird with wet feathers. Grumpy.

Splashlily—White she-cat with blue eyes. There are a few gray markings here and there.

**StarClan**

Flowerheart— Golden she-cat with a mark in the shape of a daisy on her chest. Died of greencough.

Lizardfang— Gold and black tom with blazing orange eyes. Died of greencough.

Redstar—Ginger tom with blue eyes. Died of greencough

Oakstump—Grumpy honey-colored tom with a short tail. Was murdered.

Blueclaw—Gray tom whose claws were stained blue using berries. Acidpaw killed him.

Sleekbrook—Silver she-cat. Tigerfoot's mate. Died giving birth to her kits.

Tigerfoot—Ginger tabby with enormous paws. Ate deathberries.

Lionclaw—Pale cream tom. Pantherstar's brother. Former ForestClan deputy. Killed by a dog.

Shadelion—Black she-cat. She died saving Oceanpaw from a dog.

Sorrelstar—Tortoishell she-cat. Struck by lightning.

Duskfern—Dark brown tom. Died of old age.

Graykit—Ginger tabby she-cat with gray eyes. Died of hunger.

Flickerkit—Flame-colored she-cat with yellow splotches. Died of hunger.

Silentstar—Quiet golden she-cat with blue eyes. She is deaf, but can smell and see better than most cats. Some believe that she can read another's mind. Died of an "accident" where she fell off the canyon.

Flameshadow—Ginger and black tom. Killed by his own apprentice, Hawkheart.

Tigerpelt—Ginger tabby with green eyes. Foxclaw's mate. Killed by Roaringstar

**Special**

???—Mysterious black she-cat with pale green eyes. She often walks in the dreams of Acidpaw and a mysterious cat named Lapis. Once walked in Spotpaw's dreams.

**Cats Outside of Clans and Other Animals**

Mistytail—White she-cat with a gray tail. Fled into the Twolegplace.

Jaggedtail—Tabby tom with a crooked tail. Fled from CanyonClan and into the Twolegplace with Mistytail.

Seth—Doberman responsible for Lionclaw and Shadelion's deaths and Dogpaw's injuries.

The Badger—A vicious badger living on ForestClan territory.

Ember—Savage black-furred tom with orange eyes. Responsible for the death of Whitefire.

Greenstone—Legendary grey-furred tom with emerald eyes. He is the one who saved Winterflame, Seth, Dogpaw, and Maddie back when they were at the hoarder's.

Lapis—Black she-cat with blue eyes. Not much is known about her other than she receives dreams from the same cat as Acidpaw.

Ebony—Black she-cat with pale grey eyes. Not much is known about her, other than she lives with Lapis and speaks of cats named "Jet" and "Sable".

Sable—Nothing is known about Sable other than the fact that she is extremely violent.

Jet—Nothing is known about Jet other than he annoyed Sable, and as a result, lost an ear.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry, last author's note, I promise! I know that you guys probably don't remember the "special" cat and Lapis, Ebony, Sable, and Jet from "Cats Outside of Clans and Other Animals". All of them are in the very last part in chapter seven of Three Red Sons. I assure you, they are _extremely_ important to the story.


End file.
